Thanks for the Memory
by loneranger67
Summary: Jane is doing some chores for Maura, but an accident leaves Jane with a whole new set of memories, and Maura with a 'Fiance'. Eventual Rizzles and fluff. Epilogue now up, and the story is complete!
1. Chapter 1

**It's been a while, so...hi. I finally managed to do some writing...yay!**

~0~

'You know you _really_ should think about getting a full time maintenance guy in Maur...ugh, what the _hell_..?'

Jane was perched on the top step of the ladder, reaching across to the last stretch of guttering at the front of Maura's house - and while clearing them had been her suggestion, after almost two hours of climbing ladders and clambering to reach the awkward nooks and crannies, she'd pretty much had enough of sludgy leaves and moss.

"How the hell did this end up in your gutters? Maur, you missing a sock by any chance? Watch yourself...' she said as she threw down the offending, and somewhat odd looking, sock, mixed in with the sludge - Maura dodging to her left as the filthy mix whizzed past her right ear.

"And if you are, care to explain how it got all the way up here?"

Maura gripped the unsteady ladder as Jane manoeuvred awkwardly to reach the last part. Allowing Jane to clear her gutters had been against her better judgement, but the 'helpful' detective had been so insistent that it needed doing, and that it was an 'easy job that any fool could do.'

Now, two hours later, Jane was recommending she get a professional fool in to do it...

"I have no idea how that sock got up there Jane" she replied as she looked at the unfamiliar item. "in fact I don't even recognise it as one of mine...but would you _please_ be careful, you're getting tired and the last thing I want is for you to fall." she said as she dodged more filthy leaves hurtling past her left ear.

"I'm nearly done Maur, and then I'll help you clear up the mess...okay?"

Maura nodded while looking around at the state of the paving.

They'd laid out a ground sheet to catch the leaves, but Jane's aim was a little off sometimes and there were brown patches where the sludgy leaves had landed. Maura had rubber gloves and a hose pipe on standby, much to Jane's amusement. The detective had already made reference to colonic irrigation which made her chortle to herself every few seconds, but just made Maura more nervous as the ladder wobbled precariously - Maura tightened her grip.

With a final clump of leaves, and what appeared to be the remains of a dead bird landing with a quiet thud, Jane climbed back down the ladder and threw her gloves onto the ground sheet with a satisfied, almost smug grin. She wiped her sweaty hands on her 'lived in' jeans, the ones she used whenever she did any manual labour for Maura.

"See Maur, it was easy, and a whole lot cheaper than getting some guy in to do it..." she said to an exasperated Maura, who stood with her hands on her hips, giving Jane her best 'you're about to get Maura'd' stare. Jane stopped short of an actual flinch, but raised her eyebrows and took a subtle step back in readiness...

"Jane Rizzoli" _Uh oh_..."not two minutes ago you said, _and_ I quote, 'you know, you really should think about getting a full time maintenance guy in Maur...' she mimicked Jane's throaty voice, but with an added 'whine'.

She glanced down at the little brown heaps scattered around, while Jane looked back at her like a hurt puppy. Maura instantly felt bad for admonishing her eager - to - please best friend.

"I know you like to help out around the place, and I appreciate it, I really do." she said in a much warmer, Maura - like voice, "but honestly, I'd feel much happier if next time you let me call a specialist for something like this. If you'd slipped and fallen I'd never have forgiven myself."

Jane seemed happier with the friendlier tone, but even so, she still had to have her say, even if it wasn't quite the last word...

"Maur, I don't do things that I don't think I can't do, and I'm careful, you know that." Maura tilted her head at that, and her eyebrows were distinctly raised. Jane ploughed on, as if she'd had a plan all along...

"And besides, it's supposed to rain tonight, and those gutters would've overflowed, and then you really _would_ have had a problem, so it's a good job well done I'd say. And I don't take risks if it's dangerous..." she said in all seriousness to the Medical Examiner, who stared straight at her in amazement...and incredulity.

"You once shot yourself Jane, just how dangerous does it have to be?"

Maura Isles was definitely going to have the last word, because for once, Detective Rizzoli didn't have an answer.

~0~

The next hour or so was spent clearing up the mess that Jane had left with her misfiring aim - the damp piles of sludge had already begun to dry and were in danger of leaving unsightly brown stains behind. Maura donned her stylish rubber gloves and an apron and daintily picked up each pile, holding each handful at arms length and depositing them into a recycling bag.

Jane happily followed behind with a jet wash, blasting each stain as if she were wielding a weapon - approaching stealthily, (presumably to keep the element of surprise) then blasting each one into near oblivion.

Tellingly, they each found the other's contrasting styles both endearing and strangely comforting somehow, though neither woman was aware of this fact.

Two very different styles, from two very different women, but somehow, as usual, they got the job done, and eventually the doctor and the detective happily flopped onto Maura's couch, tired, but pleased to have got a particularly laborious chore out of the way for another season.

And all without calling on a professional...this time.

Maura had promised to fix them both some lunch as they'd worked so hard all morning, so after showers and a change of clothes Jane set the table and began unconsciously picking some bread apart. She hadn't really eaten anything since last night's burger which was wolfed down on the run between two separate call outs. Now, of course, she was ravenous and whatever Maura was making smelled so good it was making her stomach rumble even more.

"Angela's lasagne, in case you were wondering." she said to Jane. "She brought it over yesterday, I thought we could do with something more substantial than rice crackers and tofu, just this once." She smiled at Jane who's face had lit up at the thought of 'real' food. "It'll be ready in five minutes, so don't eat _all_ the bread..."

Jane hadn't even realised she'd picked her way through three large chunks already.

"Sorry Maur, I don't think I've eaten properly since Monday!" she replied sheepishly, discreetly popping another piece into her mouth when Maura wasn't looking.

Just as Maura was taking the lasagne out of the oven her cell phone beeped, and Jane instinctively reached down to check hers as well - she was so used to hers buzzing at the same time telling them they were both needed at a crime scene. This time though, her phone wasn't there...

"I'm sorry but we have a body Jane...lunch will have to wait I'm afraid...have you lost something?" she asked the confused looking detective.

"Yeah, you seen my phone anywhere? I know I had it when we were outside..." She asked, as she went to look in the shower room and then around the sofa before suddenly remembering where she'd left it.

"Dammit, it's up on the roof!" she said with an annoyed sigh.

"You've put the ladder away now, we haven't really got time to go back up." Maura said as she gathered her things and put her jacket on. "You have a spare somewhere don't you, can't you just use that until tomorrow?"

Jane sighed heavily again. "No, I left it work I think...where is the scene anyway?" she asked, hoping to be able to call in to BPD first.

Maura read her mind, so in tune with her friend's thinking pattern.

"Fairmont Heights, it's the other way I'm afraid. Do you really need it? I have mine..." Jane cut her off with a sigh.

"I know, but I feel lost without my phone. Like when I don't wear a watch you know? And you never know when you might need it, it has my CI's and contacts on it...besides, I feel naked without it."

Maura raised her eyebrows, but declined further comment, especially as an image of a naked Jane Rizzoli flashed across her mind. Almost blushing - and hoping Jane hadn't noticed - she tried to hurry the detective up. Punctuality was important and they were wasting valuable time - forensic evidence might be compromised the longer they delayed getting to the scene. But she also knew that she was fighting a losing battle, Jane wasn't going to be put off, as she again muttered about leaving it out in the rain..."you know, like the cake in that song..."

Ten minutes later a flustered Maura was again holding on to a ladder as Jane stretched to reach for her phone. It was lodged in the gutter and had taken a few minutes to find. "Got it!"

Maura would regret leaving the front door open though...

~0~

It all happened so quickly.

One minute Jane was on the top rung about to make her way down, the next Jo Friday was scampering out after spotting a cat on the driveway. Jo's excitement to catch the cat sent her running straight at Maura who sidestepped to avoid a collision, which wobbled the ladder which in turn had Jane looking down to see what was happening, which led to her losing her footing on the step and sending both her and the ladder falling ten feet to the ground, knocking her out cold.

"Oh my God, Jane!" Maura cried out as the stricken detective lay motionless on the ground next to her. She calmly, but quickly checked Jane's vital signs, and after establishing she was still alive called 911. There was a small amount of blood beginning to pool by Jane's ear, and Maura knew her friend needed to be checked out urgently.

Jo Friday had abandoned the fruitless, and strenuous chase with the cat, and was now loyally sitting by her Mistress's side.

As Maura gently cradled Jane, being careful not to move her, Angela came rushing towards her from the guest house. She'd heard the clatter of the ladder and Maura's anguished cry, and when she saw Jane laying prone on the floor her first thought was that she'd been shot again.

Maura calmly filled her in with the details, and then took the reluctant Jo back in the house and locked up.

"Jane, baby, can you hear me? Baby, it's your Ma, open your eyes honey, please!" she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Jane didn't respond, but Angela kept trying until she heard the EMT arriving.

"It's okay honey, the paramedics are here now, and you'll be just fine...okay honey? Just fine..."

Neither she, or a very worried Maura were actually convinced of this, but neither of them would have told the other. Their love for Jane was too strong to even voice that they might lose her, even if they were thinking it. Though Maura's love for Jane was more than in just a best friend way, and she certainly wasn't going to say anything that might give that secret away.

~0~

In the ambulance on the way to Boston General, Maura gently held Jane's hand, her thumb rhythmically stroking, back and forth, not even aware she was doing it. The EMT's tended to the detective, who had still shown no signs of coming round.

Angela followed behind with Sean, who'd called Korsak to fill him in and let him know that they'd need Dr Pike to go out to the crime scene with him instead of Maura. Korsak was thrilled at the prospect.

As the ambulance approached the hospital Maura felt Jane squeeze her hand, and as she looked up Jane's eyes were flickering open. Maura smiled warmly at her friend in relief when they opened fully.

"Maur..." she groggily said, "what...where...where am I?"

"Sshhh...you're in an ambulance Jane, but don't worry, you're going to be okay...do you remember what happened? You being up on the roof?"

Jane tried to move, but her head was pounding, and she could feel what seemed like a bump the size of a goose's egg on the side of her head. She also felt a little nauseous. Maura gently pushed her back down.

"The roof? Whose roof? Why was I...?" Jane was struggling to understand what was happening.

"Don't worry, we'll be at the hospital soon and they'll take your headache away. You fell off the ladder when you were clearing the gutters for me, do you remember that?" Jane shook her head, nothing was coming back to her yet.

"Oh...okay. Was it for the wedding?" Jane asked matter of factly. It was Maura's turn to look confused.

"Um, the wedding, Jane?" she tentatively asked. "Who's wedding?"

Jane looked at Maura and thought she must be kidding.

"Whose wedding? What? Really Maur? she snorted, and took Maura's hand again and kissed it. "Ours of course!"

If Maura hadn't already been sitting down she'd have needed resuscitating.

~0~

**Hope to see you at chapter 2. **

**PS. It's good to be back. **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN.**

**Wow, what can I say? I guess you liked it - 113 follows after 3 days? An amazing response, so thank you everyone who took the time to read it. You know, writers write for themselves at first, to see what it tastes like, and then someone says 'that's nice, maybe you should let other people taste it too', and then we get all nervous and worried that they won't like it and we wish we'd seasoned it more...**

**Anyway, I digress, here's chapter 2, it'll go nicely with a glass of Chilean red...**

***the characters all belong to TNT, Jan Nash (yay!) and Tess Gerritson...the story and the words belong to me***

~0~

Chapter 2.

As Jane was being wheeled into the hospital - still mumbling to the paramedics about weddings, and Santorini, and making no sense at all - Maura stepped aside and gave herself a minute to gather her thoughts and try and make sense of what was happening in not only Jane's addled head, but her own as well.

She was of course well aware that someone with a head injury was likely to have severe concussion - Jane's head _had_ taken quite a whack when she fell from the ladder and she was out cold for several minutes - but this development was worrying in the extreme.

Not only did her best friend have what looked like a serious head injury, but she was now under the very real impression that not only were she and Maura 'an item', but that they were also getting married. Of all the side effects she would have expected from a head trauma, this wasn't one of them.

It was a strange turn of events by anyone's standards, made more awkward for Maura because she would have given away her _other_ kidney in a heartbeat to be in more than just a platonic relationship with Jane. As much as it made her heart leap when the confused detective called her 'honey' or 'baby', she knew it would be only temporary, and that Jane would be mortified by all this when she did eventually get her memory back...whenever that might be.

"Tread very carefully Doctor Isles, very carefully indeed" she muttered to herself as she watched a hurrying Angela arrive and they made their way in together to see Jane.

Sound advice indeed.

~0~

"I've lost count of the number of times I've sat like this waiting for news on Jane...it doesn't get any easier I can tell you." Angela said to Maura as they waited outside the emergency room. Jane had been for a CT scan and the results would be through soon, but the waiting, like all the other times before, was the hardest part.

"I can imagine that between all your children the emergency room was a popular destination." Maura replied, with a sympathetic smile and a squeeze of Angela's hand. "She'll be fine, I know she will." she added, optimistically.

"We were here so often we had the number on speed dial" Angela joked. "and one year the nurses sent _us_ a Christmas card...can you believe that? I used to joke that Jane and Tommy ought to get some kind of loyalty points or something, you know, like air miles...?" and her voice trailed off, lost for a moment in her memories of her accident prone offspring.

Just as Maura was worrying that Angela was going to break down completely a doctor appeared, and he ushered them into a side room.

"Mrs Rizzoli, and..._soon to be_ Mrs Rizzoli...congratulations by the way!" he said excitedly to Maura, in a rather 'camp' voice. Maura hadn't told her new 'Mother in law' about she and Jane's impending nuptials yet, and the doctor was about to put his foot well and truly in it.

"First of all, Jane is conscious now, and seems quite coherent...my, she's certainly a talker isn't she?!" he quipped.

Shaking their hands he offered them both a seat as he flipped open his chart, and while Angela looked back and forth in bewilderment, he continued to blunder on in his congratulations to Maura.

"Or will you keep your 'maiden' name...or maybe double-barrel? No, maybe not, I always think double-barrelling is _so_ pretentious and passé don't you? Although I have to say_, 'Rizzoli-Isles'_ does have a particular ring to it..." he said, almost in a show tune kind of way.

Really, all he needed were jazz hands to complete the stereotype.

Angela was wondering just who had actually had the bump to their head. Jane, a talker? Really? And why was he congratulating Maura, was she getting married? And who to? He said _Mrs_ _Rizzoli_...No! Surely not Frankie? Or Tommy? Wait, he was asking _Maura_...damnit, why was she always the last to know anything?

As Angela stared at Maura thinking that The Chief Medical Examiner had some serious explaining to do, Maura was wondering what on earth else Jane must have said while she was semi conscious, and was trying to interrupt the doctor...but to no avail. He was obviously a fan of weddings.

Finally Maura managed to stop him talking long enough to clear things up, not least to stop Angela looking at her like that - it was making her nervous.

"Doctor Mason, Jane and I _aren't_ getting married, in fact we're not even a couple!" she laughed, a little too earnestly. "When she came round she was convinced we _were_ and was talking about 'our wedding'...I'm obviously worried about how long this may last, what did the CT scan tell you?" she asked in a concerned tone.

While Angela was at last now up to speed, she was also strangely disappointed - she'd always wanted a doctor in the family, and she _was_ very fond of Maura... but if Jane's injury was serious then obviously that needed to be investigated further. The way the doctor was telling them Jane was acting, Angela was expecting an invitation and a shopping trip to find a suitable outfit as 'Mother of the Bride'.

"I'm _so_ sorry Doctor Isles, I had no idea." Doctor Mason continued, suitably embarrassed. "Jane seemed so sure of everything...but if that _is_ the case then yes, I think we need to carry out some more tests to see what's going on in that head of hers..."

That was something both Angela and Maura had often wondered about Jane...

~0~

Two hours later Jane was half sitting up in bed, propped up with some pillows, her head wound bandaged, so it looked like she was wearing a bandana. She'd endured a barrage of tests and scans, and 'cognitive what not's' and now her head was pounding again. Her vision was still a little screwy, but not enough to interfere with her view of Maura..._her_ Maura. The love of her life for all of four hours...her _fiancée_. God how she loved that woman.

Angela saw the dewy eyed way Jane was looking at Maura and found it most endearing. She had gone to 'find some coffee' - code for 'I'll leave you two lovebirds alone' that Maura didn't quite get until Angela gave her an obvious wink as she left. The look on the flustered Medical Examiner's face was worth it, and she was sure that Jane's injury was only a temporary blip. At least she still had her daughter in one piece, that was the most important thing.

"Honey...how much longer 'til we can get out of here and go home?" Jane asked as she sipped on some ice chips. "You know I hate hospitals and I feel a lot better now...I just want to go home with you." She squeezed Maura's hand and yawned, she was exhausted and in pain, but still Jane wasn't going to admit defeat.

Maura wasn't quite used to 'honey' as a prefix to every sentence, and while she secretly adored how it sounded, she knew it wasn't the 'real' Jane talking. A quiet sadness descended in her heart as she held Jane's hand and carefully phrased her reply.

"Let's just wait and see what the doctor says shall we? But I think they'll want you to stay in at least for tonight...you had a bad fall..._sweetheart_, you were unconscious for quite a while you know. Do you remember anything about it yet?" Jane shook her head, then winced and wished she hadn't.

"No, nothing. It's weird, I mean, I sure _feel_ like I fell off a ladder, and my butt sure knows I did" She wriggled a little to try and get comfortable. "I think you might be right, maybe I should stay in, just for tonight, I'll only keep you awake with my fidgeting anyway..." and she continued with the ice chips.

Maura gulped, suddenly realising that Jane believed they shared a bed, and therefore believed they were sleeping together, and presumably, having sex. Together. With each other.

Before she had time to digest that little nugget Angela tapped on the door.

"Can I come in?" and she peered around the door.

Maura almost fell over her own feet in her haste to beckon Angela in, and after a hurried 'I need to use the bathroom' she was gone, much to Angela's surprise.

"What's wrong with Maura? _Jane_, what did you do this time?" Angela asked her daughter. But Jane didn't answer, she'd dozed off again, and to Angela she looked as innocent and as vulnerable as the day she was born.

"Such a badass...I _don't_ think. You sleep well baby" she whispered, and sat and sipped her coffee, just watching over her first born.

Maura had found a bathroom, and she let out a huge sigh. She was a torn woman. On one hand she was worried for her best friend, who'd suffered a nasty injury and was laying in a hospital bed...again. And of course Maura hated to see her hurt in any way. Her memory appeared to be all over the place, and she was convinced that she and Maura were a couple in love and about to get married.

On the other hand Maura had longed for the day that Jane would tell her that she did return Maura's feelings and they _would_ become a couple. In her mind, marrying Jane would be like early admission to heaven. But, Jane hadn't actually _told_ Maura that she loved her, she only thought that she did, and of course, it would be very wrong to take advantage of her friend in that way...wouldn't it?

Perhaps she was over thinking this, and in a few days they would laugh about it, and only talk about it on nights when they would reminisce together on the couch over pizza. Jane would see the funny side of it, and how ridiculous it was that she once thought she was in love with Maura. Because it _was_ ridiculous...wasn't it?

~0~

When Maura came back to Jane's room it was to find Dr Mason waiting patiently to talk to her, one doctor to another, which instantly had Maura worried again. This was one reason why she only worked on dead people - by the time they got to her they were beyond being worried by bad news.

They made their way to his office and after some brief pleasantries got down to the crux of the matter. He showed Maura the pictures of Jane's brain which indicated there was indeed a problem.

"Jane's suffered some bruising to her brain" he used his pen to guide Maura on the screen. "You can see the darker areas here...and...here." Maura nodded.

"Yes, I see...just how serious is it doctor?" She asked, a little impatiently.

"Well, here's the strange part Doctor Isles, she has a fairly heavy concussion, which will obviously affect her, and it explains the tiredness, headache and nausea..."

"But?" she asked, after he'd trailed off, and Maura could almost hear his mind whirring.

"But, we can't really explain the post traumatic amnesia, or rather the 'new' memories she's acquired. We'd expect her not to remember things immediately after the fall, and perhaps a little before as well, which she doesn't, that's normal. But this idea of you two being a couple, it's very...well, _odd_." Maura nodded in agreement.

"It really is quite the pickle, Doctor Isles!" he said, almost gleefully.

Ten years of medical training and the best he can come up with is that? Maura was becoming frustrated. She knew better than most that medical science didn't always have all the answers, but she'd hoped for something more concrete in this case.

"How long do you think before she gets back to normal? I mean, how should we approach this? I haven't told her yet that we're not a couple, _should_ I tell her, or wait and see if she comes out of it on her own? How long do you think that'll take? Days, weeks?"

Maura was beginning to become panicky at the thought of having to keep up the pretence for any length of time, her mind had lurched to them walking down the aisle and Jane suddenly snapping out of it midway through the 'I do's'.

They'd be divorced before they were even married.

"I think for now, we don't tell her anything." Dr Mason continued. "She's been through a lot today, and her brain is struggling to make sense of it all. Suddenly pulling the rug out from under her may do more harm than good. No, we'll keep her under observation for tonight, and see how she is in the morning. Sleep and rest are two of the most powerful healers, and by tomorrow, with the bruising easing off she may have come out of it already. If not, well, we'll just cross that bridge when we come to it..." he said with some faint optimism.

Maura wasn't happy about having to go along with it, mainly because she knew she was terrible at lying, and was known to come out in a rash if she tried, but this was different. This was for the benefit of her best friend, who was also a patient, and as a Doctor she had pledged a moral oath to Hippocrates - to to do what is best for the patient, rather than what is best for the physician...and she'd do anything to help her, even this.

The one positive to come out of all this was that she would be able to spend some alone time with her 'fiancée' - a delightful - if a little underhanded - bonus. But one that was medically prescribed.

Having begun to formulate a more 'economical' version of the truth, Maura headed back to Jane's room and found Angela fast asleep in the chair by the bed. Gently waking her, they moved out to the corridor and she filled her in on the conversation with Dr Mason.

"So we're actually gonna _let_ Jane believe that you two are a couple, and that you're gonna get married...?" Angela whispered, sounding dubious. Maura nodded.

"Yes, I know it's a little..._bizarre_, but Dr Mason feels that given time, Jane's memory of the accident will come back on it's own, but this is more than just memory loss Angela, Jane has somehow managed to have a whole new set of false memories. We have no idea yet exactly what she believes is true..." Maura said. "For now, we have to maintain her belief that she and I are a couple. Think of it the same way as not waking a sleepwalker." she added.

Angela understood what Maura was telling her, but even so, it was more than bizarre, it was almost comical. She couldn't resist a little joke at Maura's expense.

"Just how long are we supposed to keep this up? she asked, her face completely deadpan, "Until the wedding night?"

Maura flushed instantly and hurriedly ushered Angela back into Jane's room.

Jane had just woken up, and her voice was thick with sleep, making it sound an octave or two lower. "Hey baby, c'mere and sit with me for a while would you...please?" She sounded so sweet and sincere, Maura couldn't resist, and perched herself onto the edge of the bed, Jane shuffling over to accommodate her.

Angela watched them, and smiled knowingly to herself, glad that Maura had no idea what she was thinking.

"How are you feeling Jane, does your head still hurt?" Angela asked as she fussed with some flowers.

"A little, not as much as before. Hey Maur, I just had the best dream." she said sleepily, wrapping an arm around her 'girlfriend'. Maura shifted uneasily, loving how it felt, but hating knowing it wasn't real.

"You did? What was it about?" she asked, with some trepidation - with Jane in this state it could have been almost anything. Jane smiled, looking almost bashful...her mother was in the room after all.

"Our _honeymoon_ baby." and she cuddled into Maura, holding her tight.

Maura flushed instantly this time, as the tenth area of The Hippocratic Oath popped into her head...

_'__After Justice comes Chastity, which states that a physician will not have any sexual contact with their patients...'_

For the socially awkward Medical Examiner, this was more than just a pickle, it was a veritable minefield.

~0~

**See you at chapter 3...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heavens to Betsy it's chapter 3...I hope you like it, it's been a funny old week, and I was worried it wouldn't happen at all. Again, a big thank you for the follows, favourites and the lovely reviews. You'll have to trust me when I say you have no idea how glad I am that you like it. Anyway, enough of that...back to the story...**

~0~

Chapter 3

Call her old fashioned, but as much as Maura would love nothing more than to canoodle with Jane, she had dreamed that their first kiss might take place somewhere a little more romantic than a hospital bed - and certainly not with an uncomfortable looking Angela still hovering in the room.

"Maur?" Jane whispered huskily to the startled ME, who quickly sat up and tried to disentangle herself from the clutches of the amorous detective.

"What's the matter?" Jane asked, sounding slightly wounded, but with that husky voice that made Maura tingle all over.

"Come and snuggle with me...you know, I'm starting to feel _much_ better..." and she lunged clumsily at Maura in an effort to kiss her, which sent the flustered ME almost falling off the bed.

Apparently, that fall had not only left Jane with amnesia, but it had switched off her internal filter as well, Angela thought to herself, and she busied herself with the carnations, not knowing quite where to look.

"Oh! Heavens... _Jane_!" Maura exclaimed. "I um...I don't think this is the um... most appropriate place to start um...and your _mother's_ here, look!" and she grabbed Angela's arm and stood to the side of her as if planning to use her as a human shield.

"Hi honey!" Angela said nervously, with a little wave and an awkward smile.

"Hey Ma" Jane replied..."you're still here then?" She sounded quite put out about that.

Deciding that, for once, discretion was the better part of valor, Angela thought it best to leave Jane and Maura alone to discuss the 'honeymoon'. She figured that Maura's delicate way with words was far more appropriate in this instance than to just go with her own desire to tell Jane the truth - such was Maura's obvious discomfort.

Sometimes, just sometimes, Angela knew when it was time to butt out.

With a sympathetic smile, a squeeze to the arm and a whispered 'good luck' to Maura, she left them to it. She was going to make her way to the ME's house to feed and exercise Bass and Jo Friday - well, Jo at least - Bass got his exercise shuffling from the hallway to the kitchen to munch on his strawberries. She could then go on to Jane's apartment to get her some fresh clothes for tomorrow.

Poor Jane was more confused than ever, Maura seemed to be acting so strangely. She'd pulled away from her at the first mention of honeymoons and had given Angela the strangest look, like they both knew something she didn't...and she wanted to know what on earth was going on.

"Maur, is everything okay? You've been acting weird all day...what's up? Anyone would think we haven't shared a bed before. Have you gone off me or something?" she asked, in all seriousness, looking really rather anxious.

This flummoxed Maura for a minute. How do you explain to your 'fantasy' girlfriend that you can't have gone off her, because you've never actually been _on_ her, so to speak. As Maura had no real idea of what false memories were flying around in Jane's concussion-addled head, she knew she had to be very careful what she said to her. She wished Jane would snap out of this soon because really, it was trying in the extreme, and if she had to take this much further then both she and Jane would be beside themselves with embarrassment when her memory at last returned to normal.

But the real dilemma for Maura was a moral one - having to lie to Jane. She understood why she had to do it, that wasn't the problem, and hopefully, by the morning things may have started returning to normal. It was more the _nature_ of the lie that was causing Maura so much worry - letting Jane believe that they were in _romantic_ love, rather than the (sadly) platonic kind they actually shared. It was tantamount to taking advantage of a drunk woman, and it didn't sit well with her at all.

She decided she would try not to lie outright, just be more economical with the truth.

"Of course not sweetheart, don't be silly! You _know_ I love you."she said (truthfully) to Jane, now feeling bad for her friend "Shuffle over would you?" and Jane scooted across to let Maura sit on the edge of the bed.

"But there are nurses coming and going, and it's not exactly a _private_ room is it?" she said as she put her arm around Jane's waist in an attempt to placate her. "I promise, when we get home, things will be back to normal again, okay?" and she continued stroking Jane's arm, unaware she was doing it. This seemed to do the trick because Jane then put her arm around Maura, and took an opportunity to breathe in the scent of her hair, for some reason feeling a little guilty in doing so. She brushed the thought aside and continued breathing it in, a scent so indefinably 'Maura'.

"Okay, maybe I should try and calm myself down a bit." she said, with a sigh. "I guess there's a time and a place. But is everything alright with us, you seem so, I dunno..._distracted_? Has something happened that I don't know about? I'd rather you told me than let my imagination start working overtime...".

Maura thought for a second or two before answering. She _could_ use this opportunity to tell Jane the truth, or at least a version of it that wouldn't freak Jane out too much. But was it her place to tell her, when the doctors had all said not to? And, selfishly, did she _want_ to tell her when this moment, alone and 'intimate' with Jane was making her feel so loved and comfortable? Something she didn't realise she craved until she'd started spending time with her.

"No Jane, really, everything's fine. We were just so worried about you that's all. We still are. Has anything come back to you yet, about the accident I mean? Do you remember being at my house, what you were doing when you fell from the ladder?" she asked, almost hoping that she didn't, but instantly feeling terrible that she did.

"No, not really. I seem to be dreaming an awful lot, but when I wake up it's all jumbled. I remember something about a sock?" she said, looking at Maura, hopefully. Maura nodded.

"And I have no idea what this means" she said, shaking her head and almost willing it to straighten itself out. "But are you considering colonic irrigation at all?"

~0~

Meanwhile, at Jane's apartment, Angela wasted no time in trying to tidy the place up. Why did it always look like a bomb had gone off in the living room? Work boots were dumped by the coffee table, two empty pizza boxes were strewn on the couch along with what looked like the remains of some Cannoli that Angela had brought over three days ago...'honestly Jane, I'm sure I didn't raise you to be a slob...and if Maura could see the state of this place...jeez, maybe you _do_ need a wife...' She didn't dare to think what the bedroom might look like.

She rolled up her sleeves and began clearing the mess away, pondering the predicaments that her two girls found themselves in as she went.

_This business with Jane's bang on the head had to come from somewhere didn't it? You don't just wake up and think you're in love with your best friend without there being some element of truth to it. And poor Maura having to go along with it, she's so flustered by it. It's almost like she's protesting too much...huh, interesting. And thinking about it, when was Jane last at her apartment anyway? She seems to spend most of her time at Maura's. Well, at least Maura makes sure she's well fed and gets enough sleep, I guess that's something, that she even listens to Maura, 'cause she certainly doesn't listen to me..._

Making herself a coffee she went to the fridge to get some milk and recoiled in horror at the smell as she opened the door. There was no real food to speak of, and the milk had curdled. Something that looked like it might have once been bacon was festering nicely and some cheese had enough green/blue mould to cultivate a new strain of penicillin.

"Ewww! That's _disgusting_!" she shrieked, quickly closing the door.

"Good Lord Jane, don't ever have kids for god's sake!" she muttered out loud. "They'd live on nothing but air pies and rashers of wind..."

She checked her watch - 8 pm - and decided she had enough time to make a start on thoroughly blitzing the entire apartment. Maura was with Jane and she could head back to the hospital later with some food to relieve her, before heading back to the guest house. She hoped that Maura would come home with her, as Jane would probably be sleeping all night anyway, and Maura needed to get some rest. But something told her that the loyal ME wouldn't hear of that.

As she cleaned and tidied and polished and threw away, she continued on her analysis of her daughters love life. But it was while she was rooting around for underwear to take with her - and found virtually none - that she came to a conclusion that _should_ have taken her by surprise...but actually, what was _more_ surprising was that it had taken this long.

"It's no wonder that neither of them ever seem to find the right man, they never seem to date anyone anymore...let's face it, they practically date each other..."

And the sound of that penny suddenly dropping echoed throughout - not just the apartment, but the entire building.

For some reason she felt it best to leave the bedroom for Jane and Maura to fix.

~0~

It was now late evening, and Jane had nodded off again, looking blissfully unaware of all the worry she was causing - mainly for Maura. She was on regular observations, and every time she was woken up to check her vitals she complained that they were interrupting yet another lovely dream involving the two of them.

Maura wasn't sure which she was more intrigued by; the _amount_ of lovely dreams Jane seemed to be having, or what exactly she was dreaming about that made her so grouchy when she was disturbed. She had an idea of course - she doubted it was colonic irrigation - and she'd get a familiar flutter in her stomach every time she thought about it.

Maura could no longer deny that she had feelings for Jane. Deep feelings. So deep that she thought she'd kept them pretty well hidden - from herself, and everyone else - until now. The sight of a stricken Jane, prostrate on her driveway, looking so vulnerable and powerless had brought to the surface all those feelings and more. Any thought of losing her was almost too much to bear, having come so close on previous occasions. Somehow, just being close to Jane was enough to give her a warm glow of comfort and a feeling of just..._belonging._ She loved how that made her feel, and she was relishing the quiet, and intimate alone time with her.

Maura had sometimes wondered, when she dared to think about it, if Jane reciprocated any of her feelings. After a lot of soul searching she had come to the conclusion that she didn't think so. But for someone who had always been a 'mans woman' and who had a relatively small circle of female friends, Jane seemed more than happy to spend most of her time with the ME. But had she ever given any signs that her intentions towards her were less than honourable?

When they were undercover in the lesbian bar Jane seemed very convincing with her blind dates, and she was given several phone numbers... and that time she checked out Maura's boobs while she was serving their drinks had sent a shiver up her spine...but nothing came of it. In fact, she thought to herself, she ought to be offended! She had the best set of boobs this side of Boston, and Jane just stared at them and then looked away with indifference. She didn't know what she had to do to attract the detective's attention, short of slapping a Post - It note on her forehead, and she had to admit that the answer to the question, was a probable 'no', Jane didn't return her feelings and she wiped that from her mind as fast as she wiped the tear from her eye as she thought about it.

For now, Jane was her best friend, like a sister that she'd never had - well, until very recently anyway - and as long as Jane was in her life in some capacity, she would have to settle for that.

But God, it was heartbreaking sometimes.

They were alone in the hospital room, and Jane had recently had her vitals checked. It meant that the coast was clear for Maura to do what she had secretly wanted to do when Jane had lunged at her earlier. Checking that no one was around she took off her shoes and placed them by the bed.

Very softly, so as not to disturb her, Maura laid herself down next to Jane, so that they were now shoulder to shoulder. Nervously keeping stock still, and listening out for anyone coming along the corridor, she settled slightly awkwardly next to Jane and just listened to her slow, rhythmic breathing. It was uncanny how after just a minute or so their breathing was entirely synchronised.

Jane let out a little snort and gently rolled into Maura's side, bringing her arm across Maura's waist.

The Medical Examiner almost had to catch her breath at this new level of intimacy...and immediately craved more of it.

'Two halves of a whole' she thought to herself, a little wistfully, feeling that connection, that sense of calm serenity she had whenever she spent any time with Jane...a 'one-ness'.

She closed her eyes and let herself relax into the pillows, with her hand slowly settling by Jane's thigh...

~0~

Dr Mason was en route from the staff restaurant back to his patients, but he had some news for Maura about Jane's latest tests so he decided to drop by now in case she went home before he had the chance.

As he rounded the corner he ran into Angela who had a bag of fresh clothes and some home cooking for Maura. They walked together to Jane's room and chatted as they went.

Tapping gently on Jane's door, and with no response coming back, Angela quietly made her way in. Doctor Mason followed, looking down at his charts. When he looked up he stopped in his tracks at the sight of the happy couple together in bed and warm smiles grew on his and Angela's face.

The scene before them was like something out of Greys Anatomy, a particular favourite of his. ( For the record, he was 'Calzona' all the way, but 'McSteamy' was to _die_ for, much like Angela's opinion.)

Jane and Maura were entwined around each other, legs and all, looking so peaceful and comfortable that Dr Mason and Angela almost felt like they were intruding...like voyeurs of sorts, but it was such a sweet picture that Angela almost wished she had a camera...

'Not a couple my ass.' the doctor said knowingly to himself, forgetting that Angela was standing right next to him.

"Oh!" he said, putting his hand over his mouth, "God I'm sorry Mrs Rizzoli... but _really_, if they're not made for each other then my gaydar is _definitely_ in need of a retune..." he said, and Angela could only nod in agreement.

"No, it's okay...and you're right...they _are_ made for each other...just look at 'em...they look so beautiful together don't they?"

He nodded back and put his hand over his heart. "Oh, they do, they look just perfect!" and they both stood quietly and just watched them laying there together, before realising that actually, perhaps they _were_ intruding and decided to just leave them alone.

~0~

Jane stirred at the sound of the door closing, and felt the vague sensation of someone having been in the room. As she peered to check, she felt Maura's arm tighten around her and realised she'd drifted off to sleep again...and that it felt wonderful to have Maura wrapped around her like that, with Maura's arm draped casually across her chest...until she remembered that it _was_ Maura...

_'Woh there, why the hell is Maura was wrapped around me like this?!' _she wondered to herself.

_'And why am I in hospital? Oh...okay, it's a dream isn't it? Any minute I'm gonna wake up and none of it'll...wait a minute! I fell off a ladder didn't I? Hey, I remember it! I was looking for my phone and I fell and Maura came with me in the ambulance!"_

Her memory was starting to come back, and she was filling in the missing parts quite quickly...

_"Oh, I have to tell her I remember it!"_

Yes, the gaps, and the 'new' memories were _flooding_ back to her now...

_'Oh...oh no...oh my god! That's not all I told her...oh good lord Maur I'm so sorry...oh god, I told her I thought we were getting married, and I almost ripped her clothes off...oh sweet Jesus...'_

Maura began to stir and snuggled into Jane, and it felt so nice and lovely and just so, so perfect...for both of them.

"Hey Jane, are you awake?" she asked sleepily.

It was at this point that the fine, upstanding Detective Rizzoli _should_ have told Maura that her memory had come back, and that she didn't for one minute think that they were getting hitched and she was sorry if she'd embarrassed herself, and more importantly, Maura...

"Yeah, sweetheart, I'm awake...are you comfy there?" she asked, moving some stray hair out of Maura's eyes.

"Mmm, I am thank you, I was dreaming." she said, letting out a yawn.

"Oh yeah, what about?" Jane asked. _God she looks so beautiful when she's just waking up..._

"Our honeymoon..." Maura replied, and she kissed Jane softly on the lips.

~0~

**See you at chapter 4...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well slap my thigh and call me Daisy, it's chapter 4! Sorry it took a little longer than planned, but I hope you like it.**

**There's one more chapter after this, and can I thank you for making this my most followed story so far?**

**Let's see what's happened since last we met... and I apologise, if you're reading this on a smart phone, it's in bold type...not my fault, but I can't change it I'm afraid.**

Chapter 4

In the nanosecond of time that follows you and your best friend melting into a kiss that feels _way_ too short, it's amazing just how much thinking can be done.

So much so in fact, that during that billionth of a second, when Jane and Maura's lips gently met - albeit briefly - every argument for and against telling each other the truth flew out of the window, as time seemed to both stand still _and_ speed up.

Lie upon counter lie was swept under the hospital bed, and any hint of mutual guilt was swiftly forgotten when a drowsy Maura dropped her guard for a moment and kissed Jane. It was impulsive, spontaneous and, more tellingly, _instinctive_, and now, as they lay facing each other, Maura felt her face start to flush as a result of the impetuous act.

She'd _kissed_ Jane...Jane, who's memory is impaired and thinks they're engaged and are about to embark on a life together as a married couple. Jane who would never dream of taking advantage of Maura in such an unscrupulous way...Jane_, who's lips felt so perfect against hers she could happily go back for more. Jane, who in her dream was serenading her on the balcony of their hotel suite on Santorini...on their wedding night._

_When they would be sleeping together_

_._

Maura's mind was again racing ahead to the possibility of having sex with Jane, who, presumably was already under the impression that they had.

The Hippocratic Oath was now but a distant memory, as she'd all but broken most of it's rules, and the thought of making love with Jane, however unlikely, was occupying her thoughts rather more than it should. She also idly wondered which one of them had actually 'proposed'?

She was snapped out of her daydream quite sharply when she sadly realised that 'post bang on the head Jane' wasn't in her right mind - 'pre bang on the head Jane' hadn't shown the remotest desire for them to be more than best friends, and now Maura had gone and kissed her...Jane certainly wasn't going to forget _that_.

All in all this had 'disaster' written all over it, and Maura wished she could just rewind the last 24 hours and stop Jane going back up on the roof for that damned phone. This was rapidly getting out of hand, and if it went on much longer the strength of their friendship was going to be severely tested.

She decided she'd have to say something to Jane once she'd spoken with Dr Mason, and deal with the consequences later - at least her conscience would feel slightly less 'unclean'.

Jane on the other hand was still just as confused, but for a whole new set of reasons. Maura, it seemed, had played along with Jane's 'memory loss' so well that that she was now a veteran of Method acting...

She had kissed her. Unrehearsed, unscripted, and quite frankly, unbelievably, Maura had _kissed_ _her_..._and it felt wonderful_.

Not only was it a kiss with the woman she'd worshipped since the ME had first arrived to liven up an otherwise very dull morgue, it was also a huge relief to the usually confident detective - she hadn't had to make the first move, Maura had done it for her.

She still couldn't quite believe what had just happened, and although the thought of she and Maura actually taking the plunge and becoming a couple was daunting, more daunting was the idea of missing the chance to tell her how much she really loved her. The mechanics, and the logistics of actually showing her, in a _physical_ way, would work themselves out later, of that she was sure..._ish_.

Bottom line - she was in love with the ME and did truly want to marry her, the bang on the head had just rushed all those feelings to the surface and made her face up to them. Now Maura had kissed her, it was like breathing fresh air again having been underwater for the past three years.

A small, satisfied grin formed on Jane's face as she realised what all this meant...

I) Maura felt the same way about her, but presumably had been as reluctant or scared as Jane had been to do anything about it.

2) Maura had _no_ idea that Jane had caught her out - as far as the ME knew Jane was still in the grip of her jumbled memory.

3) See number 1.

Maura was attracted to Jane. It was reciprocated...they liked each other. Possibly more than just 'liked' - if Jane's heart rate was checked now by one of the nurses they'd put her on beta blockers for sure, so Maura's must be off the chart.

Now all Jane had to do was own up, declare her true feelings for Maura and wait for the ME to fall into her arms in the kiss to end all kisses.

Alternatively, she could have a little fun before all that...

Yes, a nanosecond really does give you a lot of thinking time.

"The honeymoon huh?" Jane asked, licking her lips, a faint smear of lip gloss leaving a reminder of Maura's soft lips, as if she _needed_ a reminder.

"You, uh...you still happy with the destination?" she casually asked the now worried ME.

"I mean, I wasn't sure about it at first, but you seemed so keen to go there, so I checked it out, and I figured, you know what? Let's live a little..."

She grinned at Maura, sat up and reached across to the nightstand for some grapes and began nonchalantly popping them into her mouth.

While holding them with her teeth she'd pull the stalks off, and flick them, one after the other into the trash can by the door, basketball style.

Maura was like a rabbit caught in the headlights of Jane's oncoming 18 wheeler, and as she sat up and started fiddling nervously with her ring, she had to try and think about where on earth Jane might think they were going on their 'fantasy' honeymoon.

Lovely as it was, that kiss was now causing all kinds of repercussions.

"No, Jane...I think I'm um...perfectly happy with where we're going, thank you...as long as it's with you I don't care if it's a tent in the middle of nowhere..." she said, praying that it wasn't.

The only destination she could think it _might_ be was Santorini - she'd once told Jane that was where she wanted to go - she just hoped she remembered that conversation they'd had while reminiscing on the mattress...

"Don't worry honey, I think we can spring for something a little more up market than a tent in a field somewhere...don't you?" Jane said, offering the last of the grapes to Maura, who accepted, if only to give her something to do as a distraction.

"And you know I plumped for Vegas, but if Disney World is where you _really_ want to go, then who am I to say no?!" she said, her face a picture of honesty and integrity.

Poor Maura almost choked on her grape.

"_Disney_ _World_?!" she spluttered at the notion of she and Jane honeymooning with Mickey and Minnie, and whoever else might accost them en route, before she regained her composure and then tried to sound excited at the prospect.

"Yes! Disney World...of course...of _course_ I'm still happy Jane! I can't wait to see all the lovely..._characters..._and stroll around the Magic Castle and...and...everything..."

She's dying here, Jane thought to herself. How long could she keep this up before Maura worked out what she was up to?

"Kingdom" she said, and Maura just looked back at her blankly.

"It's the Magic _Kingdom_ Maur...and I know you're gonna love it, we can act like big kids and get away with it!"

She flashed that Rizzoli grin at Maura, and hugged her. She did feel a little guilty about still making Maura play along with this, and she ought to just own up, she really should...but this was just too much fun.

"And you're sure about the dressing up in character?"

Maura looked at her again - this time she couldn't help but look like she was floundering. She wasn't convinced - about Disney World, about being able to keep up the pretence of getting married to Jane, about _any_ of it, and if ever a timely diversion was needed, it was now.

"Dressing up?" she asked, almost scared to know what as, and where.

Before Jane could answer there was a gentle knock on the door, and Angela and Dr Mason peered around it first, in case the 'happy couple' were still asleep.

"Can we come in?" Angela asked, tentatively pushing the door open.

Maura raised her eyes to the heavens and mouthed 'thank you God' as she almost sprinted to the door to greet them.

"Yes! Please, come in both of you!" she exclaimed in glee at their almost perfect timing.

"We were just um..._talking_...about the honeymoon and..._things_...how are you Angela? Dr Mason, so good to see you again!" and she shook his hand, rather more vigorously than was necessary.

"Dr Isles, good to see you too, hello Jane..." he said, with Jane giving him a nod as a greeting.

"And have _you_ been workin' out?!" he asked Maura, in mock surprise as her grip on his hand was threatening to cut off his blood supply.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Do you want to see the patient?" she asked as she hurried Angela into the room and invited her to sit by Jane - she declined and instead began unpacking.

"Yes, I do" the Doctor said, turning to the patient. "I'd like to check some things Jane if I may..." and he made his way over and sat down with her chart and notes in readiness.

Gratefully accepting that it should be a private, doctor-patient chat, Maura moved on to Angela, who had brought with her a bag of clothing for Jane and some food for both of them, and Maura took them, glad for something else to do other than make it more obvious she was still dazzled by Jane's metaphorical headlights.

"I brought you some food Maura, you must be starved by now, and Jane, I brought you some fresh underwear...though I guess most of it must be at Maura's, I couldn't find much at your place..." to which Maura blushed and Jane whined about her Mother going through her drawers...

"You okay Maura?" Angela asked, noticing the ME flushing, and Maura nodded uncomfortably...all the white lies and thinking on her feet were beginning to become wearing.

"Yes! I'm fine Angela, it's just...you know...very warm in here don't you think?" and she fanned herself with her palm for emphasis.

"You know I think I might head home" she continued, "I need a shower, and a good night's sleep...and yes, I _am_ hungry... it's been a long day!"

"Okay sweetie, I'll take you home, and we can come back together tomorrow..." She gave Jane a kiss on the cheek and gathered her things, with a "bye Jane, sleep well honey."

Jane had wanted to talk to Maura before she went home, to confess that she'd got her memory back, and Disney World was just a joke, but Maura seemed to have other ideas, and couldn't wait to get away.

"I'll be back in the morning Jane, you need to rest, and not be so..._excited_." She gathered up her things, decided against kissing Jane goodbye, and she and Angela made their way to the door. As they were leaving, she heard Jane call back to her...

"And you really should eat something sweetheart, we never did get Ma's lasagne...I suppose you did turn the oven off?" she asked, while the doctor began his checks.

As Maura and Angela made their way down the corridor, chatting as they walked, Maura suddenly came to an abrupt halt as Jane's last words hit her like a thunderbolt.

'Jane Clementine Rizzoli you _sneaky_ little...you remembered the lasagne, which was _before_ the accident...'

Angela looked back to see Maura talking to herself, and smiling.

Realising she'd been had - because even for Jane, Disney World _was_ a stretch...she'd once said she'd never go there because giant cartoon characters freaked her out, like clowns did - she slapped her forehead, and mumbled to herself. "Well played detective, well played."

"You coming Maura?" Angela asked, and Maura hurried to catch her up, still shaking her head that she could have fallen for Jane's ridiculous honeymoon plans.

Once at home, having said goodnight to Angela and arranging to meet for breakfast before heading back to the hospital, she could now sit and think about what all these shenanigans meant for her and Jane.

The only conclusion she could come to was that Jane _was _attracted to her, and far from sending her running for the hills, Maura kissing her only confirmed it - Jane would have cringed with embarrassment if she hadn't wanted it as well...and she certainly wouldn't have perpetuated this ridiculous 'fantasy wedding'.

No, Jane had been so relaxed and comfortable when they woke up together, there was no way she could have faked that.

Buoyed with a new burst of confidence, and with a warm glow settling in her heart that the object of her affection was half way to actually becoming her significant other, she began to imagine how far Jane might take this before she cracked...because Maura was prepared to take it all the way.

Yes Jane, she thought to herself smugly, two can play at that game, as she finally tucked into the unwitting 'whistleblower' that was Angela's lasagne.

~0~

The next morning, Angela and Maura were sitting having breakfast together and Angela had noticed a change in Maura. She looked more radiant than ever, with the kind of glow usually reserved for the lovesick, or for pregnancy. Presuming it wasn't the latter, she went with her gut and decided to do a little detective work of her own.

Unfortunately, subtlety was never her strong suit.

"You really like Jane don't you Sweetie? And not just in a 'friends' kind of way" she asked casually as she buttered some toast.

For a second Maura considered denying it, but for once, she wasn't flustered at all, but she did wonder how Angela knew.

"Is it that obvious Angela?" she asked with a small laugh. Angela put her hand on Maura's.

"Actually, you know it wasn't, but it just hit me...you spend so much time together, and I was watching you two yesterday as you slept with each other...well, _next_ to each other, I realised...you two are perfect together...and I've _seen_ the way you look at each other...but now I actually _see_ it, you know?" and she took a bite of toast.

Maura couldn't have put it better herself.

"I do like her...actually, I'm _in_ love with her...and it feels so good to actually say it to someone!" she said, the happy relief evident in her voice.

"You don't have any objections do you Angela? I mean, I'm sure you expected Jane to be with someone like Casey..." and she trailed off at the thought of him and Jane at the alter, and a small shudder rippled through her.

"I'll let you into a little secret Maura, and I wouldn't dream of telling Jane, she's so bull headed she'd have married him just to spite me...but I never liked _Charles_..." The name was said with more than an aside of _snide_.

"You didn't?" Maura was surprised, she thought someone like Casey was who Angela would want for her daughter.

"No...I didn't, I mean, first of all, that accent...is he American, is he British? What's that all about anyhow?" Maura laughed, she'd often wondered about that.

"And I think he just used her when he wanted...you know..._sex_," Angela mouthed, becoming more candid now.

"And he expected her to put up with his disappearing acts. Jane may be independent and feisty, but deep down, what she really wants is stability, someone who'll be there for her, through thick and thin...someone who adores her but who also understands the job she does doesn't mean she can play the little housewife, you know? Someone who _understands_ her, connects with her...someone like you Maura." and she gripped the ME's hand, as she saw Maura's bottom lip wobble and tears well up.

"That's so beautiful Angela, thank you." she sniffed. "And I'd like to be all that for Jane, I think I am already, but if she'll have me, I promise to be all that and more..."

Angela interrupted to point something out to her.

"_If_ she'll have you? Maura, Jane's crazy about you! I'm sure there's more to this memory business than even _she_ knows...trust me, when it all comes back to her, the only thing she'll be embarrassed about is that it took you both so long..."

Maura pondered this for a while before she revealed the 'truth' to Angela.

"Well I _should_ be furious with her right now you know..." and she went on to explain the events of yesterday, much to Angela's amusement.

"Disney World?" she exclaimed, "Jane _hated_ Disney World with a passion...oh, she's in _so_ much trouble, I'm so sorry Maura! Much as I love my daughter, sometimes I wish I could just throw her over my knee!"

Funnily enough, Maura had often wanted to do that too.

On the journey back to the hospital the next morning, Maura and Angela continued talking about Jane's attempts at skulduggery and how perhaps a taste of her own medicine might be in order. As they came up with a cunning plan they made a couple of stops - to pick up some coffee...and some travel brochures.

They were going to enjoy this.

~0~

At the hospital, Jane was sitting up in bed, chewing on the inside of her cheek, as she contemplated how she was going to tell Maura that she'd got her memory back. Having slept on it, what seemed like just a harmless bit of fun yesterday, was now weighing heavily on her. Maura had been worried sick about her, had stayed with her, had even kissed her for Pete's sake, all to maintain the illusion that they were a couple while Jane was so confused, and this was how she repaid her - by lying to her.

She felt awful about it, and was ready to confess, especially after she'd spoken with Dr Mason last night and confessed to him that she'd started to remember things from before, and _after_ the accident.

After more tests, and some revealing chatting - Jane somehow felt quite comfortable talking with the doctor, he felt like the medical equivalent of a priest - he said something that made her realise what she had right under her nose...

"Jane, take it from one who _truly_ knows...you only get one shot at this life, and you may only get one chance to find the love of your life...don't pass it up because it's not what you think people expect from you, _screw_ what people think...if you love her, go get her...and honey, don't ever let her go!"

He sounded like Patrick Swayze in 'To Wong Foo'...but she got his point, and it had been enough to make both of them tear up a little, and now as she sat, fully clothed, ready to be discharged she remembered his words, and decided that it was now or never...they'd both skirted around the edges of flirtation, for too long, it was time for the real thing.

She just hoped that Maura would forgive her 'stupid bit of fun' and, aptly..._forget_ it.

At that moment Maura popped her head around the door, smiled warmly and trotted in. Jane was struck by just how gorgeous she looked - a simple skirt and sweater combo had never looked better on anyone, and her heart really did skip a beat for a second. Before she could say anything though Angela made her way in as well, and made herself at home. Jane had wanted to talk to Maura on her own and Angela being there was a touch awkward.

As would become evident, awkward-wise, this was the least of her worries.

"Good morning sweetheart!" Maura said enthusiastically, giving Jane a kiss on the cheek and settling excitedly on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling this morning, anything coming back to you yet?" she asked casually, giving Jane the chance to own up.

Jane took a deep breath, as if about to blurt out the truth, but Maura wasn't going to make this easy and she quickly took the brochures out of her bag and plonked them down in front of Jane. "Take a look at these honey."

They were all Disney themed and as soon as Jane saw them she had a terrible sinking feeling. She opened her mouth to reply but Maura deliberately ploughed on before she could actually speak.

"You're dressed already? Does this mean you can go home? Oh, I hope so darling, we have _so_ much to talk about...when I went home last night I went online and I did a little bit of shopping...look sweetheart" and she opened one of the brochures, settling at page seventeen, complete with a Post It.

'Luxury Resort Breaks with Honeymoon Specials' loomed large in front of Jane as Maura ran through all that was on offer at the 'Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort' in Florida..._'oh good lord, she hasn't has she? She's actually booked this?'_

Angela just sat quietly, pretending to read a brochure, watching Jane's reaction as Maura continued, not giving Jane a chance to interrupt_._

"I've booked us in for two weeks here darling, it has everything we need, our own pool, a monorail to The Magic Kingdom...and look..." she pointed excitedly to a picture of a 'tasteful' little chapel..."it's licensed for weddings...isn't it beautiful?!" she sighed, perhaps a little over the top, but she was still new to subterfuge after all.

Jane was oblivious to Maura's game and blinked a few times as she tried to take all this in. "Uh, it looks..._great_, sweetie...you booked it already you say?" she asked, trying to sound excited. Maura grinned and nodded excitedly.

"Oh...that's..._fantastic_! Um...can I ask? How much is this all costing? I mean, I know it's what you want, and you deserve the best of course...so um...how much sweetie?" she asked, glancing awkwardly at Angela who seemed to be highly amused by the magazine she was flicking through.

"Well, with the hotel, the flights, the wedding ceremony and catering...and of course all the doves...around eighty thousand, give or take." she said, quite casually.

"Eighty grand?! Wait..._doves_?!" Jane exclaimed...you've booked _doves_? Really Maur?" She sounded nonplussed...and Angela was now struggling not to laugh - Maura was surprisingly good at this.

"Yes I booked doves! What's wrong with doves at our wedding? she asked, sounding quite put out. "I think it'll be beautiful...and I thought you would too..." she added, now pouting a little for effect.

Jane didn't know what to say, and was wishing she'd just told the truth when she'd had the chance yesterday...but that kiss..._that_ kiss changed everything. She took Maura's hand in hers, and stroked it with her thumb.

"Maur, I'm sorry...yes, doves _are_ beautiful...but maybe not...um... I think maybe we need to talk about some things...that might change your...that might _explain_ some things...you know?" she said, not making herself clear at all but desperate to confess - if only Angela wasn't there.

Maura couldn't keep this up much longer and decided to help Jane out a little.

"Oh, well, how about we talk about the catering...I know, why don't we ask your mother to cook something, oh, I don't know...how about..._lasagne_?!" she asked, staring accusingly at Jane. "Yes, lasagne... just like we were going to have before you went back up on the roof...and that _you_" she said, poking Jane, "Jane Clementine Rizzoli, _remembered_ last night and then didn't let on that you had your memory back!" she said, her voice raised now, and she smacked Jane on the arm for good measure_. Oh God...I am so busted._

Jane's head, and heart sank, as Maura sat and stared at her, and Angela gasped at hearing Maura talk that way to Jane...then promptly burst out laughing.

"Jane, I'm glad you're getting you're memory back" Angela said, calming down a little..."but I think you have some explaining to do, don't you?" She got up, kissed both her girls, and made to head out, stopping to say one last thing.

"Especially to your fiancée here...I'll leave you to it..." and she was gone.

Jane and Maura were alone, and the room was silent, with neither of them quite knowing what to say, or how to say it. Both wanting to break the silence, but not wanting to lose this moment. They just sat looking into each others eyes, feeling the connection, that electricity, not realising that they were still holding each others hand, not noticing that they were slowly leaning closer towards each other...so close now that they feel each others breath on their lips...

"You don't _really_ want doves at our wedding do you Maura?"

~0~

**You are all cordially invited to attend the reading of chapter five...**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know, I know, it's taken a while...I've dragged myself from my sickbed to get this done for you...let's crack on shall we? **

Chapter 5. 

As Jane and Maura sat together on the hospital bed, still not knowing what to say, the atmosphere in the room could only be described as 'electric'. The air seemed to crackle with expectation - though neither of them quite knew what to actually expect - should one of them break the spell and actually say, or _do_ something?

"Jane" Maura said, her eyes locked on Jane's like guided missiles.

"Yeah?" Jane whispered, the weight of the moment so heavy that her voice had lowered almost to a husk.

"Can I kiss you...for real this time?" she asked, her words leaving an echo on Jane's lips they were so close...

"Yeah" she replied breathlessly, apparently having lost the use of her syllables.

Maura tipped her head forward and their lips were now almost touching...so close..._almost_ _there_... 

"Can I come in?" a chipper sounding Dr Mason asked as he poked his head round the door.

And the moment for Jane and Maura's first _true_ kiss had gone, and they both sighed heavily, dropping their heads, and almost colliding with each other.

The doctor was, in fact, already _in_ as he asked the question, but realised too late exactly what he'd interrupted, and with a mental head slap, made a solemn note to himself to knock in future.

"Oh my goodness...I'm _so_ sorry to interrupt you both, look, I'll come back later..." he said, as he turned to head back out, the embarrassment obvious in his voice. Jane though, had other ideas.

"No!" she said, a little too fervently for Maura's liking.

"I mean..._no.._.please, stay. Have you come to say I can go home? Because as much as I love hospital gowns, I'll be glad to get back into my sweats...they're less...revealing" she said with a somewhat forced smile.

Maura noted it, and was left wondering what had happened to that highly charged moment they'd just shared. It seemed to fade as fast as Jane's memory, she thought to herself, and gave a little sigh.

"Actually, I have, yes, you _can_ go home" the doctor replied, "but only into the care of Doctor Isles, so she can keep an eye on you...something tells me she may need to" he said with a small grin.

"I don't know what you mean doc, I'm a model patient...I've had plenty of practice..." she said, returning the grin, and she and Maura shared a knowing look...it wasn't that long ago that Jane shot herself, and it was still fresh in the ME's memory.

She gave a little shudder as she remembered _that_ hospital stay...she'd prayed at the time that it might be the last - well, that's what happens when a scientist prays to something that she knows only exists on paper.

"I'll take care of her Doctor, don't worry..." _Forever, if she'll let me._

With the completion of the discharge paperwork, Maura gathered up Jane's things and was ready to wheel the patient out of the hospital, and into her life as her...well, what was she? Girlfriend, partner? As of now, technically they weren't anything yet. Jane's quip about doves at their wedding seemed genuine, but was she getting pre wedding jitters before they'd even had their first official date?

"Actually Doc, could I talk with you before I leave?" Jane asked, glancing across to Maura, who seemed surprised. "In private?" she added. Maura wondered why of course, but took the hint...grudgingly.

"I'll erm...see you at the car then Jane." she said sounding a little miffed, feeling like she was the 'crowd' to their company of two. She grabbed her purse and Jane's overnight bag and left them alone.

In the parking lot, Angela was standing by her car, talking on her cell, and she waved as she saw Maura looking for her. By the time she got there Angela had rung off.

"Everything okay honey, is Jane ready to come home?" she asked Maura, who seemed distracted.

"Mmm? Oh, yes, she's just talking with Doctor Mason..." she said. Angela could tell there was something on her mind, and waited, patiently.

"Angela...do you think Jane is okay...with us? I mean, as a couple...you don't think she'll change her mind do you? Is it definitely over with Casey do you think?" Maura's expression was best described as 'concerned'.

"Can I ask what happened when I left? Did you, _you_ _know_...kiss and make up?" Angela asked, trying to be subtle, but desperate to know how it went.

Now she knew how her girls felt about each other she hoped they'd stop shilly shallying around and just get on with it, but knowing Jane as well as she did, that may well prove to be easier said than done - love had never been her strong suit.

"We were about to" Maura said sadly, "but then Doctor Mason came in and interrupted us which was awkward, and then she said she wanted to speak to him in private. I think she was embarrassed at almost being caught in the act." she said, looking quite dejected.

"Maybe I'm making too much of it, a lot's happened in the last forty eight hours, and perhaps we both need a little time to...digest it all."

Angela pulled Maura in for a hug and held her tight for a few seconds.

"Sweetie, once Jane makes her mind up about something, she rarely changes it back again." Angela said, trying to ease Maura's worrying.

"And I remember I once barged in on her and Wayne Garret making out on the couch when she was seventeen...she was so embarrassed she didn't leave her room for a week!" she laughed, and Maura did too at the image of a teenage Jane...how she wished they'd been friends then.

"That was the tidiest her room's ever been as well...anyway, I'm sure _Charles_ is too busy saving the world to bother about coming back, and even if he does, she's not interested...it's _you_ she wants Maura, that much is obvious." she said, smiling warmly at the woman who may one day be her daughter in law. She was determined to have a doctor in the family.

Maura smiled with relief - she knew she was just being silly, and when she and Jane had almost kissed just now, it all felt so intense that it confirmed to her that Jane _did_ want to take things further and be more than best friends. She just wasn't sure how they would go about it. Angela could feel Maura's tension and offered some motherly advice.

"But you know as well as I do how stubborn she can be, and I bet you anything she's probably sitting in there wondering what she's supposed to do next, and should she take charge,or not just like you are...don't worry honey, it'll all work itself out, just don't try to _force_ it, you know? Let whatever happens...just happen."

Maura nodded, and she and Angela sat in the car to wait for Jane. Maura hoped that whatever _was_ going to happen between them happened soon...the four years she'd already waited now felt like a lifetime.

~0~ 

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Jane was indeed having jitters, but had perhaps jumped the gun just a little and was worrying about she and Maura's 'first time'. She was sitting on the bed, chewing on her cheek not saying anything, but making it obvious she wanted to talk.

Dr Mason decided enough was enough, he had a date to get ready for later and needed to get some sleep after his nightshift.

"Jane, you said you wanted to talk to me about something...we have our privacy now..." he said, putting her chart down and sitting next to her.

"What's bothering you...it's about Maura isn't it?" he asked. Jane nodded, still chewing.

"I'm sorry I spoiled the moment earlier, you were about to kiss weren't you?" he asked, knowing full well they were but hoping that she would open up with some gentle prodding.

It worked.

"Yeah, we were _that_ close" she replied, putting her thumb and index finger almost together. "And it felt...amazing, to be that close to her, I could feel her breath on me you know?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes Jane, I know" he assured her.

"Well, yeah...course you do...can I ask you something Doc?" she asked him, almost tripping over the words she'd finally managed to get out.

"I was rather hoping you would" he said dryly, and Jane rolled her eyes.

"And you know what? As you've been discharged, and you're no longer a patient, call me Perry would you? I think we've reached a point in our relationship that we can be less formal, don't you think?" he said and patted Jane's hand. Jane turned and looked at him in amazement.

"Perry? _Really_? You're called _Perry Mason?"_ she laughed, as Perry nodded, more than used to that response from people.

"My Mom was a fan of the show...she vowed that if she ever had a boy after having five girls she'd name me Perry...I should be grateful it wasn't Kojak...anyway, what do you want to ask me Jane?"

Jane took a deep breath. "What was it like? The first time you kissed another guy...did it feel weird at all?" she asked him, feeling entirely comfortable, for once. Perry, on the other hand, glared at her, looking very taken aback...

"Wait...you think I'm..._gay_?" He said, feigning shock, his face deadpan and with a touch of hurt for good measure. For a second, Jane wasn't absolutely sure if she _had_ offended him, until he smiled broadly and winked at her.

"Girl, my face is the straightest thing about me!" he said "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." and Jane playfully slapped his arm.

"And to answer your question, if memory serves it was...different. I'd kissed a couple of girls before, and they were all soft and squishy from what I remember, but it never felt quite right somehow, like it was missing something, you know?" he asked. Jane nodded, thoughtfully.

"A penis?" she answered, without even thinking. Perry snorted.

"Well, ultimately, yes...but what was missing was that spark...that..._connection_ you feel when you know that it's the right person."

Jane was nodding at all this, and looking a little dewy eyed, as if she were recalling something that warmed her entire being throughout.

"Yeah, that's how it felt with Maura" she said, almost as a sigh. "and if we'd stayed in that moment I know it would've been incredible and I wouldn't have wanted to stop..."

"But?" Perry asked, after a pause. "I mean, I know I rained on your parade, but there's something else bothering you isn't there...spill honey, I'm on a promise tonight" he said, exaggerating the campness.

Jane smiled, and geared herself up to say what was on her mind.

"It's just...once that moment was broken I got...nervous I guess, and now the more I think about it the worse it gets." she said, becoming visibly anxious.

"Maura's my best friend...she's been like a sister to me...well, maybe not a sister...that would be inappropriate, given all the thoughts I've been having about what it'd be like to...you know..._be_ with her..." she dropped her head as she blushed a little. Perry tried to stifle a smile.

"I just worry that when we come to try it again, I'll make a mess of it or something...Maura looks to me to be all confident, but actually I'll be all of a dither over a simple little kiss..."

Renowned badass Jane Rizzoli was suffering from performance anxiety.

Perry took her hand and gave a big sigh. It was time for some wise words from someone who'd been there.

"Jane, honey, listen to me okay?" Jane nodded. "Your first kiss with _anyone_ has the potential to be a disaster, though I'll admit that when it's with your best friend that does add a little...spark to the mix. But that's not the point. If you're looking at this like it's an exam or like you're being scored on your technique, then yes, you're going to worry yourself into 'failure' as _you_ see it." He gave Jane a little squeeze on the arm.

"It's not like you have to kiss her at a set time and place and have score cards held up...it'll happen when it's right for _both_ of you...I'm sure Maura's a little worried about it too...just relax, enjoy each other's company, and just...go with it."

Jane felt the urge to hug him, but opted for a 'thank you' and a light shoulder punch, to which Perry gave a little 'ouch'. He wheeled her out of the hospital and Maura headed over to them. Before she got too close he had some parting wisdom for her.

"Oh, and sweetie, lay off the lasagne for a while...nothing says lovin' like garlic breath..." 

By the time they all got back to Maura's, after stopping at a grocery store, and Angela had fussed over both of them, and they had showers, and naps and dinner, before they knew it, it was time for an exhausted Jane and Maura to go to bed...in different rooms obviously.

They'd talked about everything except that great big elephant in the room, and when it was time to say goodnight the best they could manage between them was an awkward kiss on the cheek and a 'see you in the morning...'

The air was full of unresolved sexual tension and neither of them were able to get to sleep before midnight.

The Golden Hour it wasn't...

~0~ 

_When Maura woke - after the most blissful night of uninterrupted sleep - it was to the music of birdsong, the aroma of fresh pastries, and the unmistakeable sound of someone vacuuming outside..._

_She yawned, had a little stretch and made her way to the window. Drawing up the blind she looked out and smiled at the sight of a clear blue sky, with hardly a sign of cloud, observed a stray sheep that had presumably wandered into the grounds, it's bell jangling softly, and marvelled as Angela Rizzoli walked up and down the perfectly manicured grass with the much sought after Dyson DC44 Multi Floor Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, creating perfectly straight rows of perfectly clean lawn._

_She gave a satisfied nod, waved to a rather pink and out of puff looking Angela and made her way into the lounge room where she poured herself a freshly brewed coffee, helped herself to a pastry and sat and pondered her upcoming nuptials._

_She was on Santorini, and today was the day that she was marrying the woman of her dreams, the woman who had stood by her side through thick and thin, and who had steadfastly and loyally vowed to remain there for the rest of her life. Yes, today was the day that Dr Maura Isles, married Susie Chang...wait...Susie?_

It was at that moment that Maura suddenly jolted awake. Rubbing her eyes and shaking her head a little, the image of Susie in a wedding dress was still fresh, and she had to check herself that she was now awake - the coffee in the dream had smelled so good.

Realising that she was indeed in her house in Beacon Hill, she yawned, had a little stretch and went to her window...there was the marvellous sight of Jane walking up and down the lawn pushing the petrol mower, wearing loose baggy pants and a tank..._my god she looks hot, Maura thought to herself._

She waved at Jane who gave an enthusiastic thumbs up in return and carried on mowing. Maura's view of Jane's rear was even hotter, and she fanned herself as she found her robe and made herself more decent - she'd not realised she was only wearing a thin, short nightdress,

She'd also forgotten that Jane had offered to cut the grass this morning - against her better judgement - but hadn't thought she'd be here quite this early, she'd only been released from hospital yesterday. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand - it was 10am - even after taking an age to drop off last night she'd slept for the best part of nine hours.

After the events of the last few days, she wasn't surprised at needing to sleep for that long, and wondered if Jane had managed to catch up on some as well. Judging by the fact that the lawn was almost done, she doubted it.

But the dream, well, that _was_ weird...and as she made her way to the kitchen she thought about it's meaning. She didn't become The Chief Medical Examiner by being slow on the uptake, and soon worked it out...

_She thought of Angela as nothing more than a housekeeper, was a perfectionist to the point of OCD...and she spent way too much time with Susie Chang... _

Thankfully she also knew that dreams can be interpreted in many ways, and she shouldn't worry about this one...or the one she had the other night that featured Jane in overalls, with a wrench in one hand and a dipstick in the other...

She went to the refrigerator and took out a soda for Jane and some orange juice for herself, and at that moment in walked her new gardener, wiping her brow with the back of her hand and removing her work boots before stepping into the kitchen.

"Hey" she said with a small nod to Maura, who replied with a "Hey yourself"

"The lawns done" Jane said, realising instantly how unnecessary that little statement was. _No shit Sherlock._

Things had been awkward since they got back from the hospital yesterday, and Jane was glad to have something to do to take her mind off it all. Now though, they might actually have to talk to each other.

"I got you a soda, and if you want a shower I'll go in after you" Maura said, handing it to a very hot looking Jane. _In more ways than one Maura thought to herself._

"Thanks...I um...I think you need to get the mower serviced as well, it's starting to splutter a bit. I checked the oil and stuff, but the spark plugs might need changing..." she said, sipping on the soda and looking sexier than Maura could ever remember..._and when she starts talking like an educated Giovanni, boy does it do things to me..._

Maura couldn't wait any longer, she knew Jane was feeling awkward and that there was really no need to. They liked each other and if one of them didn't make the first move soon...

"Jane" she said, impatiently.

"Yeah?" replied Jane, having used up her quota of syllables in her previous sentence.

"Kiss me." said Maura, with some urgency, using as few words as possible, time wasn't on their side.

"I'm all sweaty Maur..." replied Jane, realising how close Maura had moved to her.

"I don't care...I suspect we'll get a lot sweatier...together...just kiss me?"

"I also smell of garlic..." Jane said, stalling_. You idiot_

"I _still_ don't care" said Maura, and she closed the miniscule distance between them once and for all as their lips finally touched for real.

And this time they didn't get interrupted...

~0~ 

**Well of course there's a chapter 6, I'm not cruel...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here it is, chapter 6...it's my favourite so far I think, and I'd love to know what you think. I wasn't sure at first whether or not to do another chapter after this, but, you know me, I love a happy ending...and any excuse to buy a new hat. So, yes, there will be one more chapter, but that's it! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time and trouble to review, follow and favourite...I've never had so many follow's for a story so I'm very proud, and so pleased you seem to like it...**

Chapter 6

Jane and Maura had been rooted to the same spot, just kissing each other, for the best part of ten minutes, and it was only as their lips began to go numb that they admitted defeat and pulled apart at all. Both of them breathless, and with their hearts hammering, they looked into each other's eyes, mere words now almost impossible.

"Well..." said Maura, noticing that Jane's pupils looked like saucers.

"Yeah..." Jane replied, her hands now resting on Maura's hips. Kissing, it seemed, was one part of making out that Jane _didn't_ need to be anxious about.

"That was...um...very..._nice_..." Maura said, licking her lips and swallowing hard, still not taking her eyes off Jane, but now admiring _her_ lips which were looking much fuller after all that kissing.

"_Nice_?" asked Jane, her eyebrows raised, but she was smiling. "That's the best you can do..._nice_?" Maura smiled back, coyly, realising that 'nice' was perhaps the understatement of the year. It was amazing, wonderful and all that she'd ever imagined it might be.

"It was..._beautiful_, actually." she clarified, still not sure that it did the kissing justice, but much more descriptive than plain old 'nice'.

"And I'd _very_ much like to do it again, if I may...just to be sure that your lips really are as soft as they felt..." she said, before adding, "you know...for _clinical_ purposes..."

The words came out as little more than a whisper, but Jane heard them loud and clear. Maura had moved her hands to Jane's hips now, and the look of longing the detective gave her back couldn't fail to be noticed. But she was still going along with Maura's seductive banter.

"That's all I am to you isn't it?" she asked, her face deadpan, but her tone definitely 'playful'. "An experiment." and she pulled Maura a tiny bit closer.

"Jane?" Maura said, her eyes now focused solely on Jane's lips.

"Yes... _Doctor_ Isles?" she replied, so close were they now that she could feel Maura's hips against her own. Maura looked admiringly at Jane, her eyes scanning the doe eyed beauty in front of her...

"Shut up and kiss me!" she said, giving Jane no way to resist.

And this time, Jane was only too happy to follow the doctor's orders.

~0~

For both of them, this was the first 'first kiss' that had any real meaning behind it. They'd both had many 'firsts' of course, and neither of them were inexperienced in kissing, or indeed, sex. But neither of them had _kissed_ a woman before, let alone slept with one - though Jane had wondered whether Maura might have done, with her travels to Europe somehow making her more likely to have explored her sexuality.

Apparently to Jane, Europe was a hotbed of Sapphic experimentation - a notion based solely on one trip to the Louvre in Paris years ago, when an exhibit of female nudes and a museum guide called Gisele caused a minor furore in her fertile imagination. It was the first time she'd had a 'stirring' physical reaction to another woman and the female form, and it unsettled her for a while. As for Gisele, Jane couldn't take her eyes off her - tall, willowy, with honey blonde hair and eyes that seemed to sparkle under the lights. Jane was transfixed by her and appeared to hang on to her every word, but in truth she just couldn't stop staring at her..._and as for that accent._

But for the aspiring Officer Rizzoli what did this mean? She'd noticed women before, and had thought vaguely how attractive some of them were, but she'd never actually been attracted to one...until now. Did this mean she might be bi-sexual, or possibly a...a..._lesbian_?

Her first reaction to that was what on earth would her family priest say if she was? And her father? That didn't bear thinking about. He'd probably disown her, and vow never to let her cross the threshold again.

Tellingly, at no point did she think it was wrong, or an abomination or any kind of sin...just that her upbringing would make it seem so.

Because what she _couldn't_ deny was that her reaction was not only pleasurable, it also felt entirely natural. But not natural enough that she would pursue it - she decided that she had too much to lose - her career in particular - she wanted to make Detective, possibly even Captain at some point, and how many openly gay officers were there at Boston PD right now? She thought about it for a while and realised they could be counted on the fingers of...oh, no hands.

No, the 'Paris thing' would be swiftly put in a box marked 'do not open until you're married and have five kids' and stored away in the recesses of her mind...

...until the day that Doctor Maura Isles came along.

Maura.

Even the name was exotic. Maura had honey blonde hair and eyes that seemed to sparkle under the lights...she may work with dead people and chemicals, but she seemed to smell of sunshine and honeysuckle. 'Paris' had come back to her with a passion.

Although Gisele had a significant effect on Jane, she was really only a crush, but Jane had time to develop a relationship with Maura - who had said she wasn't adept at relationships. Well, the two of them seemed to connect somehow, and Jane had spent the next four years allowing her feelings for the Medical Examiner to build into a deep, unrequited and ultimately, frustrating love.

Over those years she'd had some half hearted relationships with men - as a way to perhaps get her 'doubts' about her sexuality out of her system - some of whom expected her to give up being everything she was. Some who treated her as a convenient 'stop over', en route to bigger and better things. But none who truly understood her, or her ethics, or her very raison d'etre. And certainly none who could say they almost knew her better than she knew herself...not like Maura could.

Maura.

She was like bottled sunshine. And now she was kissing her...and god it felt _so_ right. It was as if the weight of all that had gone before, every bad experience she had ever had just evaporated, and all that was left was just her, and Maura. No one else existed, and nothing else mattered.

In that glorious, lip numbing moment, everything suddenly made complete sense, and she knew she was finally where she was meant to be...she was home, with her Maura.

For Maura, finally being able to kiss Jane for real, without all the nonsense of a bang on the head and her subsequent 'amnesia' was the vindication of four years of 'wondering'.

Since the day she'd met Jane she'd felt an unusual closeness, a connection of some kind that she couldn't explain, but that she knew was different somehow to her other female friendships. Not that she had many friends, female or otherwise - bonding with people didn't come easy to the diffident, and somewhat awkward medical examiner.

But with Jane, she felt relaxed, confident and, most importantly, comfortable.

To some the term 'comfortable' may not have sounded the least bit life changing, and certainly not romantic, but to Maura, comfortable meant finally being at ease with herself. No pretence, no having to conform, no need to try and be someone she just wasn't. Jane didn't judge her, didn't mock her 'quirkiness' - at least not in a malicious way like her peers had when she was very young - and she didn't expect to get anything back.

Jane just seemed to love her, for all that she was, and all that she could be.

And Maura took nothing but comfort from that.

As time passed, she developed feelings for Jane that went beyond 'friend', and even deeper than spiritual - her love turned into a physical longing to just 'be' with her. Partner, soul mate...wife perhaps? She just knew that she wanted to be with her, in whatever way she could, for the rest of her life.

Maura was also very aware that she often became aroused when Jane was in close proximity...and even when she wasn't.

It turned pizza night into a delicious agony.

It was a heady cocktail...one part best friend to three parts lover. Maura often wondered, in those times when they were cuddled together on the couch, watching a movie, or when Jane 'reluctantly' tagged along with her to go shopping, whether she might feel the same way.

Several times she had caught Jane staring at her, seemingly lost in some kind of daydream, and she certainly seemed more 'comfortable' with Maura than with any of her boyfriends. She had always managed to find some reason to end those relationships.

But, Maura still wasn't sure, and as this was the best 'relationship' she'd never actually had she wasn't about to upset the status quo and announce her love for Jane without some solid physical evidence to back it up.

But now she had her evidence, and it was certainly physical - Jane was kissing her as if it where the most natural thing in the world, and actually, to both of them, it felt like it was. As they stood together, barely moving from that spot in Maura's kitchen, exploring each other with their mouths and tongues, their hands and fingers - almost imperceptibly - neither of them could imagine that anywhere else even existed, let alone want to be there.

They had finally found each other, four years after they first met...they were _both_ home.

~0~

An hour or so later and Jane and Maura had finally stopped kissing when things started to become a little more...heated. Hands that had naturally stayed north of the equator had begun to wander due south and both of them felt less than comfortable with this new development. They were only a few hours into their epiphany, and whilst kissing came easy to them, anything else seemed too much to cope with...despite what their bodies were telling them.

For both of them, the speed, strength, and, most alarming of all, the _intensity_ of their mutual desire had hit them like a thunderbolt. A few days ago they were just 'friends', now they were embarking on a whole new kind of relationship. What was once just fantasy was now very real, and how to deal with the ramifications of that was proving difficult.

Kissing your best friend was one thing, getting hot and steamy

in the process was something else entirely, and both of them had no idea how far was too far...or what to do when they got there. Their bodies were telling them that this was what they both wanted, and needed...they just needed time to adjust to those feelings at their own pace.

But when kissing and touching, and feeling their way felt _that_ good, they both hoped it wasn't going to take too long.

Jane still hadn't showered after mowing the lawn and she took the opportunity to cool her libido down a bit, while Maura made them a late breakfast as a distraction. With the atmosphere much cooler now, they sat and enjoyed some pancakes and juice.

"Jane, tell me something would you?" Maura said, in a vaguely 'suspicious' tone that had the detective slightly worried. She passed Jane another mug of coffee, and poured herself one as well. She'd been wondering about something for a couple of days now.

"Hmm?" Jane mumbled into the mug as she took a sip of the rich, aromatic liquid, her appreciation for good coffee growing the more Maura waxed lyrical about it.

"What do want to know? Am I going to need an attorney?" she asked warily, only half joking.

"I doubt it, she said, sipping her coffee and smiling mischievously.

"but if you do you could always plead temporary insanity..." Jane winced, she had a feeling she was about to be interrogated.

"When where you going to tell me you'd got your memory back?" she asked, casually.

Jane sheepishly peered at her over the coffee mug, knowing full well that Maura had obviously been thinking about this, and it wasn't in the least bit 'casual.'

"I mean, if I hadn't backed you into a corner about your mother's lasagne, and the doves...would you have kept it up for much longer? When I went along with it all, especially Disney World of all things, you knew that it was under false pretences, that I hadn't found you out yet...but you didn't say anything...I just want to know why...and how far you would have gone" she said, the phrase 'don't play the player' popping into her head.

She'd underestimated Jane's ability to 'play' her, that was for sure, but in the process, Jane had obviously underestimated hers as well. And now she was going to enjoy watching Jane Rizzoli squirm, just once more.

Jane had a choice now, she could just be honest...

"Have you finished eating?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded. "Come and sit with me...please?"

Jane took Maura's hand and led her over to the couch, where Jo Friday had made herself at home...again. She was fast becoming a playmate for Maura's tortoise, Bass. Though it _was_ a little one sided, Bass had a top speed of about half a mile an hour and carried his own armour...Jo rarely got much back in the play department.

She was scooted out of the way and they sat down, with Jane feeling very apologetic and trying to think of what to say, or rather, how to phrase it - she often found it hard to articulate exactly what she was feeling when it came to anything emotional.

But this was Maura, the woman she'd loved for the last four years, and some things needed to be said...and better late than never.

"Maur, I want to tell you something okay?" Jane said, sounding very solemn suddenly. Maura nodded, almost sorry she'd said anything, Jane looked about ready to cry.

"It's okay sweetie, it's nothing bad...well, it maybe doesn't make me look that great, but it's nothing you don't deserve to know..." she clarified. Maura settled herself, ready for Jane's 'explanation'.

"And I need you to let me finish okay? No butting in...if you have any questions you can ask them at the end of the session..." Maura nodded and did her best to look serious.

"I'll be honest with you Maur, I didn't tell you when I woke up with you because...well, because when I remembered about the ladder and the phone, you were cuddled into me, and it felt so nice to be that close with you...I just laid there for a little while, watching you sleep and I thought about how good you'd been with me since the accident, and how amazing you are...and how beautiful you looked...well, I didn't want to lose that feeling of just, well...being with you...and _then_ I remembered that I said we were getting married...and I was mortified, and I was going to tell you then, I _really_ was...but then you..." she stopped suddenly, and after a long pause Maura finished her sentence.

"And then I kissed you" she said. It was Jane's turn to nod, and give Maura that doe-eyed look again.

"Uh huh...and it felt so good, and natural, and scary and wonderful...I just couldn't believe it, and I didn't want it to end...because I knew that you wouldn't have done that unless you had feelings for me...I knew then that you love me...the way I love you..." Maura smiled warmly at Jane, it was the first time Jane had said she loved her, and at least she was being honest, but that didn't mean she was off the hook...she was going to make Jane work for this.

"Hmm, I see, but you still thought you'd prolong things and have a little fun...how do you feel about that?" she asked, sounding like a disappointed mother. It was a wonder she didn't tell Jane to go away and think about what she'd done. Jane sighed and her head dropped, feeling like she _was_ a disappointment.

"Jeez Maur, you're not gonna make this easy are you? I felt awful okay? And I was about to tell you when you told me that _you_ knew... wait a minute...my mother was in on this as well wasn't she?" she asked, suddenly realising that they must have been in cahoots together. Maura raised her eyebrows and grinned back at Jane, eventually having to let out the laugh she'd been stifling.

"Yes Jane, Angela actually came up with the idea for the reservation for Disney World and I just, well...I threw myself into the part shall we say?" she joked. Jane looked at Maura in a whole new light.

"You sure did, whatever happened to Maura 'I can't tell a lie' Isles?" she asked in mock disbelief. "You'd break out in hives if you had to say you liked one of my boyfriends! Well, I'm shocked Doctor Isles, shocked I say!" and she got off the couch and flounced dramatically over to the kitchen to get herself a top up. Maura laughed at the melodramatics, but when Jane came back to the couch he had something she wanted to say.

"I _can_ lie actually...well, white lies anyway...what do you think I've been doing for the last four years?" she asked, quite serious now. Jane looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Maura took Jane's coffee mug and put it down on the table so she could take Jane's hands in hers. She leaned forward and kissed Jane lightly on the lips and Jane's face visibly softened.

"What was that for? I mean, it was nice, but what was it for? Tell me what you meant about lying?" She studied Maura's face, truly seeing for the first time the love she returned for the detective. It made Jane's heart leap a little to realise that they had finally come home to each other.

"I meant that I've been lying to you, and to myself probably, about how I felt about you...I've loved you for what seems like forever, and I hoped..._dreamed_ that you might feel the same way, but I couldn't quite work you out...you know you are deceptively complex Jane..." she said with a small laugh.

"All I've wanted for so long now, was for you to give me some kind of sign that you wanted me...romantically I mean. I've seen the way that you've looked at me when you thought I wasn't watching, but I was never sure, and the thought of me just blurting it out to you and then finding that you were horrified by the idea...well, it didn't bear thinking about, so I kept it myself...effectively I was lying to you Jane, and now that I know how you feel I keep thinking about those wasted years, when we could have been together, building a life..." she trailed off, and had obviously begun to tear up, and it just about broke Jane's heart to see Maura upset over this.

"Maur, look at me..." Maura lifted her head to meet Jane's impassioned expression.

"We didn't waste those years, they just add to our history together, and make us what we are today, and I wouldn't have missed a single day of them. Hey...you know what neither of us has said yet, well, not properly anyway." Maura shook her head and sniffed a little, the tears building. Jane reached across and grabbed a tissue and let Maura dab her eyes before continuing.

"I _love_ you" Jane said, in such a soft but sincere way that Maura burst out crying and blubbed into her tissue, much to Jane's surprise.

"That's not quite the reaction I was going for Maur...are you okay?" she asked, handing her another tissue. Maura nodded and mumbled "go on" while she composed herself.

"I _do_ love you, I've loved you for so long I can't remember a time when I didn't...and like you I was too damned scared to risk losing you. And I wasn't sure how you felt either, so it was easier to hope and dream but stay quiet about my feelings for you...well, actually it wasn't easy at all...and I came close a couple of times to telling you."

Maura had stopped blubbing now and was just sniffly. "You did?" she asked sounding now like she had a heavy cold, but to Jane that deeper voice sounded incredibly sexy. "When?"

"I did. Remember when I got that new bed and the mattress ended up being dumped on the floor?" Maura nodded, of course she remembered being that close to Jane and not able to do anything about it.

"And we were drinking wine and talking about stuff and you asked me about my fantasy wedding, and you said yours would be on Santorini and I said Fenway?"

Maura nodded, impressed at Jane's recollection of that very intimate moment.

"I have to say Jane it seems like your memory is fully restored...I remember it well." she said, smiling as she recalled it.

"I also remember that you had a cold and you sounded a lot like you do now, all throaty and...sexy...and I just wanted to scoot over a little more and kiss you there and then...and I came so close, but I just couldn't do it...I just couldn't risk it...but god I wanted to!" she laughed.

"I wanted you to kiss me actually" Maura said. "You were so close to me, and I was sure when you rolled over to me that you were going to. I remember thinking 'just kiss me Jane' just kiss me will you'...it was such a poignant moment as well, talking about weddings to the woman I was in love with, and in my dreams hoped to marry one day..." she kissed Jane again, this time for longer, feeling the hidden tenderness beneath the bluster.

She pulled away and studied Jane's face - her eyes telling her everything she needed to know.

"I love you Jane, more than I thought I could love anyone...and I know this is all still so new, _and_ a little scary, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I think you feel the same way...and I also know we've only kissed so far, but I think we both know that it's only a matter of time before we end up in bed..." Jane flushed at the thought, and felt a sudden rush of arousal hit her where it mattered...and it hit her hard.

"I think you may be right Maura...I don't think it'll be long at all..." she said, gulping.

"Jane do you remember what I asked you when we were on the mattress, talking about our weddings?" she asked, hoping that she did. Jane's memory didn't fail her.

" Can I come? You asked me 'can I come'...and I said...'_maybe'_..." she whispered

"Yes, that's what I asked you...but you don't know _why_ I asked you" she said teasingly, so glad that Jane had remembered the conversation.

"You know, I've never considered myself a selfish person, or needy, and I value my independence, and I know you do too...but with you I feel different...I want you, but I want _all_ of you...I don't want just the parts of you that you choose to show people, I want the beautiful, imperfect, flawed, coy, drop dead gorgeous woman who makes me feel so complete I could just burst!" she said, again the tears building up, along with Jane this time.

"I want your heart, your soul...but really, all I want is _you_...I knew that when we laid together on the mattress...so...can I come? To _our_ wedding at Fenway...and our honeymoon on Santorini?" she asked, not taking her eyes off Jane, who was now totally transfixed on Maura, and more than a little overwhelmed by Maura's heartfelt words...god how she loved this woman.

Maura sat up, and taking both of Jane's hands in hers let out the deep breath she'd just taken...

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli... at some point in the not too distant future...will you marry me?"

~0~

**See you for the final chapter...and by the way, the rating will most likely change to a 'T'**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here it is, the final chapter, but not the end of the story...there's an Epilogue to follow. I hope you enjoy it...let's crack on shall we?**

Chapter 7

"Jane, honey, are you going to be long in there?" Maura said impatiently through the bathroom door. She checked her watch - six forty five - they were going to be late if Jane didn't get a move on.

"Won't be a minute!" Jane called back, sounding a little flustered. Maura was intrigued, Jane had been acting oddly since she'd got home.

"What are you _doing_ in there anyway?" she asked. Jane had already been in there for what seemed like hours, though in fact it had only been about one.

"We're going to be late." she said, as she checked her purse for about the fifth time - she didn't want anything to be forgotten, not tonight of all nights.

Just as she was about to bellow at Jane again, she heard the bathroom door open. Turning around as she closed her purse she looked up and caught sight of Jane 'adjusting' her underwear...and Maura's eyes almost popped out of her head.

"I just need to put my dress on and I'm done...can you help me with the zipper Maur?" she asked, seemingly oblivious to the effect she was having on Maura.

"Uh...yes..." she stammered, the glorious sight of Jane Rizzoli in her underwear never failed to make her mouth go dry and her heart skip a beat.

"But we'd better hurry this up, we're going to be beyond late..." she said as Jane slipped the dress on. Maura moved Jane's hair out of the way and slid the zipper up slowly so as not to get it caught on it's way up. Jane turned around and stood in front of Maura, smoothing her dress. She looked breathtaking.

"Thanks Maur...I'm sorry I took so long, I just wanted to look extra nice for you... I didn't get a chance to wax so I had to shave my legs, but then I had to moisturize... and then I thought that I might need a trim...you know, _down there_..." she said nodding her head to indicate exactly where. "And _then_ I thought that I ought to do my eyebrows while I'm at it...I just wish I'd been more organised, but this week seems to have been crazy busy...sorry I kept you waiting...you ready to go?" she asked, finally noticing that Maura was eying her up and down, with _that_ look in her eyes..."Do I look okay?" she asked innocently, knowing full well that Maura was loving what she was seeing...Jane still loved to fish for compliments once in a while.

"You look beautiful my darling, just like you always do." Maura replied, giving Jane a kiss on the cheek. She'd have preferred it to be a real kiss but time was ticking on - there was no time to re-apply lipstick.

"If you're ready, we should go, the table's booked for seven thirty but we need to stop off at your Mother's remember..." she said, as she headed downstairs, obviously keen to get going. Jane followed, shaking her head - she was hardly likely to forget, but she knew that Maura liked to have the minutiae of anything planned down to the second.

"I haven't forgotten Maur, and we have plenty of time, the restaurant is only a few minutes away from Ma's...hey, slow down just a sec will you?" she asked as she got to the bottom of the stairs. Maura turned to look at Jane who had stopped on the bottom stair and so now appeared to be about three feet taller than Maura - she looked..._statuesque_ in that dress and those fabulous heels. Maura almost had to pinch herself that this woman was hers, and would be forever.

"You really do look beautiful tonight Jane, and I'm so glad you decided to wear that dress..." she said, casting another admiring glance over Jane's curves as Jane climbed down from the bottom step and kissed Maura on _her_ cheek.

"Well, you did say you wanted me to wear it again and I guess it doesn't often get an outing...have I said yet how gorgeous _you_ look? It's like 'Throwback Thursday' tonight isn't it? Well, except it's a Saturday, and 'Throwback Saturday' doesn't work as well really...anyway...we should go, come on, scoot...you're making us late!" she said and she cheekily patted Maura's behind to hurry her along.

Maura tottered to the door in her five inch Manolo Blahniks with a tut and an ''honestly" and headed to the car, sending a hurried text message as she went...while Jane just followed behind and admired the view.

~0~

Meanwhile, Angela was at Jane and Maura's home in Beacon Hill - everything was underway, and she just hoped that Maura had managed to keep it all under wraps. Even after all this time Maura was still hopeless at lying, although to be fair, this wasn't really a lie, more an _alternative_ version of the truth, but even so, if she _had_ let slip anything, then all the hard work and preparation would have been scuppered.

Angela cast her mind back to when Jane first introduced her to her new friend Maura - she knew then that she was something special. And now? Well, it had turned out she was right.

The house and courtyard were ready, and almost everyone had arrived, she was just waiting on Tommy and TJ - that boy of hers had never once arrived on time for anything, and there was no reason to assume tonight would be any different.

Thank goodness Jackson hadn't inherited his Uncle's bad time keeping.

She watched her seven year old grandson playing chess with his 'Grampy' and her heart filled with Italian pride - since she'd married Vince Korsak five years ago, Jackson had become the apple of his eye, and it didn't matter that he wasn't a blood relative - as far as Vince was concerned, the boy was _his_ grandson and he was only too glad to baby-sit. Jackson adored the older man and with Vince, and the rest of the family guiding him, he was becoming a credit to the Rizzoli name.

Retirement suited Vince, and he and Angela had built a happy and comfortable life together. It also meant he could pursue some rather 'different' online pastimes...which would prove very useful this evening.

Angela had one last look to make sure everything was ready to go, glanced at her phone for the umpteenth time and told everyone to get ready to take their places...the wedding party was on their way.

~0~

In the car on the way to Angela's, Jane and Maura were reminiscing about old times, and how the last ten years had gone by so quickly - it really didn't seem that long ago that they'd finally got together after Jane lost her memory falling off that ladder. (Ever since then whenever Jane decided to go up on the roof or into the loft, Maura had her medical bag discreetly to hand, just in case.)

"Ten years...I still can't get my head around that, it's just flown by don't you think?" Jane asked Maura, as she drove, glancing across at Maura from time to time. She still took her breath away, just as she did the first time she saw her, and just as she did on their first official date...

_August 2013_

Jane and Maura had both declared their feelings for each other, and they'd shared some rather spectacular kisses - _and_ got very hot and bothered in the process - they were now, officially, a couple. And couples tend to do _coupley_ type things, like go on dates.

But not Jane and Maura it seemed.

With ridiculously hard work schedules, and an extended family of Rizzoli's and Isles, who always seemed to need something or other, their new relationship status seemed to consist solely of snatched kisses in the morgue, or the elevator...even occasionally in the relative privacy of the ladies room at BPD. But no actual date, which was frustrating when you've been in love with someone for an age and dreamed of spending your life together...dates would seem to be the natural way to move things forward.

Now that they were a an actual couple Jane had come over all proactive and decided to take the bull by the horns.

"Maur, we're going on a date." she boldly announced, when she popped down to the morgue to 'check on some lab results', which was actually code for 'I'm going to see my shiny new, beautiful girlfriend and kiss her behind the filing cabinets'.

Maura was impressed by Jane's forthright approach, but did feel that she could have phrased it a little more...romantically.

"We are?" she asked the detective, who was standing with her arms crossed and looking very determined. "Well, where are we going? And when? We haven't had a day off for over a week, and we're on call all this weekend...the first thing I'm going to do when I can is sleep!" she laughed, not really joking, they'd had what felt like the case load from hell in the last two weeks.

"Well, how about our first date is the _second_ thing you do? Friday night you sleep...Saturday night, you spend with me, some dinner, maybe a movie, and then you can sleep again...I've cleared it with Cavenaugh so we're off on Saturday _and_ Sunday...how does that sound?" she asked, looking very pleased with herself. Maura's shoulders visibly relaxed at the thought of some time off, and of course, a real date with Jane.

"I think that sounds almost perfect Jane...have I told you how much I love you?" she asked, glancing round to make sure no one was watching - they were still at that awkward stage with public displays of affection - before she kissed Jane slowly and seductively.

"Not in the last five minutes you haven't" Jane replied a little breathless, "but if that's how you want to tell me...remind me again, just how much _do_ you love me?" she asked,

Maura proceeded to show her, several times, until Susie Chang popped her head around the door to bring some actual lab results, and they went their separate ways again...both mildly frustrated.

Making the transition from 'friends' to 'girlfriends' wasn't always easy, and Jane and Maura were proving no exception. Long held feelings of love, and lately, lust, had now been brought to the fore and how they dealt with them was proving difficult.

Kissing, whilst extremely pleasurable, soon aroused desire in other areas, and sometimes it was hard to resist the temptation to just move to the bedroom, bur neither woman felt quite ready for that just yet...though both hoped that it wouldn't be too long before they did.

Jane in particular seemed almost ready to explode with longing for Maura, but at the back of her mind was the worry that she wouldn't know what to do, or would just blunder on regardless and make a total hash of it. Dr Mason had assured her that they would be fine, that all new couples have that 'bedding in' period, so to speak, and she should just stop worrying, and just go with it. And if their kisses were anything to go by, Jane thought to herself, then the rest of it ought to be incredible.

So, with her confidence buoyed, Jane got busy for Saturday night and organised an early reservation at one of Maura's favourite restaurants, not too expensive, but it had just the right atmosphere - relaxed yet intimate - and then a trip to the movies to see one of Maura's all time favourite's, 'An Affair to Remember' with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.

After both of them had the best and longest nights sleep in weeks Maura did some housework in preparation of Jane coming over to pick her up later. The house had been neglected all week and by her own critical standards it really needed blitzing, but she settled for dusting, tidying and vacuuming. You never know, Jane might stay over...

Jane went to the dry cleaners to pick up her suit and even braved her local salon to get a leg wax, much to the amusement of the staff...'Jane has a date then' was the general consensus - she only went in on special occasions - and they were all wondering who the guy might be.

Jane let them wonder all they liked, Maura was so special she wasn't going to jinx anything by telling them just yet, they'd only told a few close friends and family...and anyway, she kind of liked leaving them guessing.

She didn't presume for one minute that anything would happen tonight, it was still very early in their relationship, but there was always the possibility - Maura seemed to arouse feelings in Jane she never knew were possible and that almost painful ache of desire she had whenever she thought of the ME was a constant reminder that she'd been longing for this for the last four years. If Maura felt the same way, which she was pretty sure she must, then there was the very real possibility of 'something' happening tonight, even if only underwear was involved.

By the time Jane rang the bell at Maura's, she was taking deep breaths and praying that their first date was going to go well...

Dinner turned into a triumph of success over planning - when they got to the restaurant on Newberry Street they were told there was no reservation under the name Rizzoli until _next_ Saturday, and a table wouldn't be available for at least ninety minutes. An irritated Jane almost lost her temper at the Maitre 'D, but Maura just took her to one side and instructed her to take a deep breath. She told the irked Maitre 'D it was fine and they'd find somewhere else.

After a walk around the harbour they still hadn't found anywhere until Maura had an idea. "I know the perfect place, come on!" she said excitedly and grabbed Jane's hand.

A few minutes later and they were sitting in a booth in Joe's Diner, looking at a fifties themed menu and each sipping on a Blue Moon, much to Jane's delight. They may have been a tad overdressed but the atmosphere of the diner had them feeling totally at home, and Jane relaxed immediately - stuffy restaurants had never really been her style.

They ordered burgers and fries, and homemade cherry pie...with extra whipped cream. There was even a jukebox, with a selection from the 50's and 60's. They sat and chatted, the conversation slipping from light hearted to flirtatious quite easily, and Jane was admiring Maura's dress of shimmering midnight blue, which seemed to accentuate her curves in all the right places..._god she looks so beautiful._

After a few beers and a fabulously unhealthy dinner, Jane went to the jukebox and after some deliberation she finally selected a record. As the needle went down onto the scratchy vinyl she strolled back to the booth and held out her hand. "Would you like to dance?" she confidently asked a surprised Maura, as Bobby Vinton's 'Blue Velvet' began to play.

"Um, yes...but are you _sure_ Jane?" she asked, knowing that Jane wasn't a great lover of dancing, and that they were in a packed diner with other patrons watching them. Jane just smiled, the Blue Moon, and the atmosphere having lifted her confidence without making her cocky.

"Sure I'm sure, look, there are others dancing...and I'd love to dance with my girl...if she'll let me..." and she gently tugged on Maura's arm.

"I would love to dance with you Jane" Maura replied, "And my card is empty...looks like you'll have me to yourself all night..." and she let herself fall into Jane's arms.

The thought of having Maura all to herself, _all_ night sent a jolt through her entire body and she pulled her closer...it felt as if she could never be close enough.

"This song seemed appropriate" Jane whispered in Maura's ear as they held each other and slowly moved to the music, hardly straying from the spot - Jane's assumed lack of dancing skills didn't matter at all.

"You look beautiful tonight Maura, that colour really suits you." and without thinking she gently kissed Maura's cheek.

Such a simple show of affection but one that sent a shiver to Maura's centre and a visible reaction to her chest...and one that Jane could feel through her shirt.

The song eventually came to an end but neither Jane or Maura had even noticed, they were still moving slowly on the spot to their _own_ song, and it would have been understandable if they'd just left now and gone home to Maura's and made love, but Maura wasn't sure that either of them were quite ready.

She wanted Jane more than she'd imagined was possible, and Jane knew that too, but now wasn't the time. She wanted their first time to be when they both felt comfortable, and could just enjoy the closeness of being together, privately, with no interruptions - especially Jane who she knew was worried about it.

If they left for home now this spell might be broken en route, and Jane may find that trying to cast it again later somewhat awkward - she wanted Jane to decide when she was ready, she loved her too much to ever have her feel pressured.

They walked a block or so to the movie theatre, hand in hand when they _didn't_ think about it, awkwardly arm in arm when one of them did - being a couple in public was going to take a while to get used to.

The theatre was half full when they sat down with a bag of popcorn and a soda each, and as they waited for the ads to finish and the movie to start they chatted a little and got themselves comfortable...

Ninety minutes later they woke up to Cary Grant realising why Deborah Kerr never made it to the top of The Empire State Building and the immortal and heart tugging line..._'If you can paint, I can walk...anything can happen don't you think?'_

They'd slept through the entire film, much to the amusement of their fellow patrons. Stretching and yawning and rubbing their tired eyes they sat up and laughed as they looked at each other sleepily.

"That was the nicest nap I've had in ages Maur, remind me to come here again will you?" she joked as Maura picked some popcorn from Jane's shirt.

"I think this is a sign don't you Jane?" Maura asked as she fumbled under the seat for her purse and her left shoe. "We should head home, and get some proper sleep...we're no good to anyone like this...I've had a wonderful evening though sweetheart. thank you!" she kissed Jane, not caring who was watching, and it was returned, with interest.

In the cab on the way home they sat in almost silence, holding hands, their fingers entwined, and they exchanged small glances and shy smiles, both feeling that little bit closer to each other. Once back in Beacon Hill, Jane held the door for Maura but before they went in she leaned down and met Maura's lips with a searing kiss that sent a shockwave throughout their entire bodies. Walking in, still attached at the lips Jane kicked the door shut and they continued kissing, becoming more passionate as the minutes went by...apparently Jane had decided she was ready after all.

"Would you like to stay tonight?" Maura asked as she stopped to catch her breath. She sounded husky with want as they finally pulled apart, and Jane looked into Maura's eyes with such desire that it was all Maura could do not to just rip her clothes off there and then.

"You can stay in the guest bedroom if you want to...I mean...I just thought..." Jane stopped her talking with a kiss that seemed to stop time in its tracks.

"If it's alright with you Maur I'd like to stay with you...here..." she replied as their lips parted briefly. Maura nodded silently and they made their way to Maura's bedroom.

The lighting in the room was set so low that their figures cast shadows on the walls and ceiling as they stood together. They slowly but deliberately undressed each other - Jane slid Maura's zipper down and let the dress fall to the floor, admiring the curves in front of her as it went. Maura slowly undid the buttons on Jane's shirt, never once looking away from Jane's near black eyes.

She carefully unhooked Jane's belt and slowly slid it off and then undid the button on her trousers. Jane took them off, again, not breaking eye contact. The room seemed suddenly so small and intimate and the air was charged with electricity. The level of desire was now at an all time high as they met again to kiss and they held on to each other as if their lives depended on it. Hands were free to wander wherever they wanted, both feeling an incredible need to show just how much love they had for one another.

They were now almost naked - just down to underwear - this was the most intimate they'd been together, but as they moved to the bed neither of them felt any embarrassment or were self conscious, just an incredible need to be closer, to feel skin on skin...and an arousal level that was not only a revelation to them, but that was palpable.

Kisses and the power of touch led each of them to explore the other in their own time and their own way, not hurried, no constraints of time or interruptions, and no pressure to prove anything to the other.

...they could just _be_...together.

Throughout that magical first night of lovemaking the stars shone down on them, with the moon casting it's entrancing spell, it's dappled light shimmering and dancing seductively over the two of them.

As a new dawn nodded a gentle goodnight to the moon and the sun took its place in the early morning sky, Jane and Maura finally drifted off to sleep. Wrapped safely in each others arms, elated, exhausted, but more in love with another soul than they had ever thought possible, they just slept, and barely moved an inch.

They were both home.

~0~

_September 2023_

With the happy memory of their first time still fresh in her mind, a smiling Jane was roused from her daydreaming by Maura stopping the car.

"Jane, we're here...and it looks like Jackson is ready for us..."

Jane looked at Jackson Rizzoli standing at the front door with his Gramps and wasn't sure what to make of it. He was dressed in a..._wait, is that a..._

"Maur, why is our son wearing a suit... with a _buttonhole_...is someone getting married?" she asked as she got out of the car and walked round to open Maura's door. Maura smiled knowingly, and when she was out of the car she waved at Jackson to come over. He ran towards them and Jane caught him in her arms.

"Hey buddy, what's going on? Why the fancy suit?" she asked, looking at Maura for answers. "Oh, I know, are _you_ getting married little man?" she joked, planting a kiss on his head as Jackson laughed.

"No silly Mama..._you_ are!" he said excitedly to a bemused Jane as Maura just looked on, a picture of innocence. She took a small box from her purse and walked over to Jane and their son and took both their hands in hers.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, ten years ago I said I wanted your heart, and your soul...but really, all I wanted was _you_...and when we married, you gave them all to me, and I've cherished them every year since...would you do me the very great honour of marrying me all over again...here, tonight?" she asked and opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond eternity ring, designed to fit beside her wedding band.

As Jane gasped at the ring and kissed Maura so passionately that it almost took her breath away, she did manage to get out a muffled "yes" between all the kisses. The 'guests' then all came to meet them...including Korsak, who looked a picture of sartorial elegance on the arm of Angela.

"Hi baby" Angela said to Jane...did you say yes?" Jane nodded and Angela hugged Maura in mock relief...as if there were some chance she might have said no.

"So, you're all in on it then...Et tu Korsak?" Jane joked, poking him in the ribs. "And that explains why you wanted me to wear my wedding dress again Maur...why you sneaky little..." she said poking Maura too.

"Well, yes Jane, we are all in on it" Korsak said..."but I have a particular reason for being here actually...I'm the one marrying you two...are you ready?" he asked a now completely incredulous Jane as she looked to Maura for an explanation.

Korsak really had been pursuing some 'different' online hobbies in his retirement.

~0~

**I hope to see you for the Epilogue...**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N. So, this is it, the very last part of the story. Thank you to everyone who has followed this from the start, and has reviewed and have just been so darn nice about it...it means the world to me that you've enjoyed it...and it's not always been easy to fit writing into long, busy days, so thank you for your patience.**

**You know, one of the great joys in life is reading, whether it's fan fiction like this, or actual published novels, it doesn't matter- if it moves you, or entertains you, makes you laugh or cry, the important thing is that someone wrote something that touched you in some way, and it felt almost personal to you...that's what writing is for me - personal, and from the heart. Thank you for reading my stories, and I hope you continue to support all of us who do this for the simple pleasure and joy of it...see you at the next one I hope...**

**Ranger :0)**

Epilogue

__

August 2013  


"Maura, I've loved you since the first moment I saw you, and it's taken four years for us to finally get our act together and tell each other...I don't think I could stand waiting another _hour_ to be married to you, let alone four years...so... yes, Maura Dorthea Isles, I would be _honoured_ to marry you..."

~0~ 

_Present day..._

When Maura asked Jane if one day, in the not too distant future, would she marry her, she had no idea how quickly things would change for both of them. After their first date, and then their first time making love, Jane just couldn't keep away from the house in Beacon Hill, so, that was were Jane stayed from that moment on - at home with Maura.

After that first incredible night together both of them knew they couldn't bear to spend another night apart, and within a few weeks Jane and Jo Friday had moved in completely with Maura and Speedy the Turtle, as Jane called Bass...the tortoise.

For the first month or so, when they weren't on call they were in bed, the novelty of their sexual awakening not having worn off at all - in fact their lovemaking had Jane very glad they _weren't_ at her apartment, the walls were so thin she'd never be able to show her face there again.

Making love with Maura was like the Fourth of July and Christmas rolled into one, and it only seemed to get better. Their family and colleagues couldn't fail to notice the changes that were happening to both of them, and the 'new, improved' Detective Rizzoli was quite the revelation. She still had her 'badass' moments but now she seemed softer somehow, as if Maura had filed down her rough edges to reveal the 'real' Jane.

She smiled, _a lot_, and subconsciously perhaps, took fewer needless risks in her job - always at the back of her mind knowing she had someone to come home to who needed her, and preferably in one piece.

The idea of shooting herself for example was never broached again.

Maura seemed to grow in confidence simply because Jane allowed her to be her true self. Often seen as aloof and diffident in the past, Jane brought out the very best side of Maura - playful and sassy, but with a sense of equanimity that kept both sets of feet on the ground.

It really was amazing what love could do.

There were teething troubles of course, and the occasional disagreement, as there are in any relationship, but their life was pretty near as perfect as it could be. They learned about each other as they went, and with give and take, and mutual support they grew together as a couple as their relationship took them to new levels of 'oneness'.

They also talked about having children, something that up until recently they had never seriously considered, and it was agreed that if they _were_ to have children, then they would both like to be married first...to tell each other how committed they were, and to tell their child just how much he or she was wanted by two loving parents.

It was also decided very early on that Maura would be the one to have their first child, if a child were at all possible. Jane jokingly declared that Maura 'had the hips for it' but really it just seemed to make more sense, career wise. Maura would still be able to work until late into the pregnancy, whereas Jane would be confined to desk duties just a few months in.

After the appropriate tests were carried out and it was found that Maura was highly fertile and capable of carrying a child, it was decided that they would wait a couple of years to just enjoy their new life together before they added to the family.

For Maura in particular it was a long, hard wait- she hadn't realised how much she actually wanted a child with Jane.

But before children could come along they needed to be married, and there seemed no reason to wait - having had no real desire to say 'I do' up until now, suddenly it seemed the most natural and urgent thing in the world to be married to each other, and call each other their wife. And so it was that in mid September, only weeks after they had finally got their acts together they were married at Fenway Park...Jane had finally got her wish.

Their vows were said to each other over Home Plate, after Maura used the pull of the Isles name to make it happen for them. Jane arrived at the stadium in a dress that made Maura gasp when she saw her, but soon pulled on her Redsox jersey over it, much to the amusement of the guests.

It made for interesting wedding photographs.

In the absence of her errant father, Vince Korsak proudly gave Jane away, with Barry Frost as her Best Man...but tragically, the happiest day of their lives would be the last time they ever saw Barry. While Jane and Maura were honeymooning on Santorini, he was killed in the line of duty. He died a hero's death, saving a child from a life of virtual slavery, but paid the ultimate price for his dedication and his love of 'the job'.

His funeral was held in time for Jane and Maura to attend, and the speeches they gave were the hardest thing they would ever have to do...particularly as the last speech they had heard was from Barry himself, as their Best Man.

As an emotional Jane struggled to say of her friend and 'brother'...'he was the _very_ best of men'.

He would never be forgotten, they made sure of that...and he would continue to have an impact on their lives.

Three years later, after a frantic rush to get her to the hospital in time, Jackson Barold Rizzoli-Isles impatiently made his arrival into the world.

When her waters suddenly - and it has to be said, spectacularly - broke a month early, while she and Jane were at a spa in the middle of nowhere, there was no time to clean themselves up, and they arrived at the hospital both caked in mud and looking like they'd been dragged through a swamp...twice.

After some hurried explanations to the bemused staff, Maura was admitted and within two hours of being cleaned up she had given birth and was sitting up in bed cradling their child. As Jane later said to the visiting Angela and Korsak - who had now been 'seeing' each other since she and Sean broke up after a fight at the wedding - 'all Maura really had to do was cough and he just popped out'.

Maura couldn't deny that all the horror stories she'd read about four day labours, and the exhaustion that goes with it hardly applied in this case...she'd barely felt a thing.

When Jane took their baby and held him in her arms for the first time she couldn't have felt more love for anyone, except for Maura of course. Her heart filled with so much pride and awe that this little person was theirs, _and_ that they got to keep him that she just burst into tears and sat sobbing for a few minutes while a teary Maura cuddled them both...they were now a real family, with someone who relied on them both to keep him safe and loved.

Love was certainly never in short supply - with Frankie and his wife Lauren as one set of Godparents, and Robin and Camille, Barry's 'Mothers' as the others, little Jackson had the very best of mentors and role models...it was indeed a charmed life.

~0~ 

Jane and Maura's lives had come full circle since that day that Jane had knocked herself out and lost - and gained - her memory. Ten years ago she and Maura had vowed to be true only to each other, and to spend the rest of their lives together.

And now, on this balmy September evening at their house in Beacon Hill, with their son Jackson as Best Man and with Korsak having been ordained online as a Minister (which Jane _still_ couldn't quite get her head around...was this even legal?) they took their places outside in the courtyard. Family and friends assembled around them, as the sun began to set and the new moon heralded the arrival of the stars in the evening sky.

Once Vince had got to the appropriate part of the ceremony Maura nodded to Jackson and he proudly walked up to his mother with the eternity ring she had for Jane. As Maura slipped it on to Jane's wedding finger, she told her that this ring symbolises the love that they share now, and the continuing love that is yet to come...

As Maura finished her heartfelt speech, Jane turned away and reached into her bra...much to the surprise of her wife who was ready for the 'you may now kiss the bride' part...Jane held her back for a minute, she had a speech of her own to give.

"Maura Dorthea Isles...when you asked me ten years ago if I would marry you, I said that I would be honoured to be your wife...and you've been the most amazing, caring, loving and it has to be said, _patient_ wife to me!" she said as the guests and Maura laughed.

"I was expecting to be at one of our favourite restaurants tonight, not renewing my vows, but it's the most wonderful thing we could be doing on our anniversary...well, _almost_..." she whispered to her wife, who blushed a little.

"And I _was_ going to give you this over dinner, but now seems like just the right time..." and she held out her hand to reveal a diamond eternity ring, almost identical to the one Maura gave her. Smiling, she took Maura's hand in hers and slid the ring on...

"Maura, this ring symbolises everything you mean to me, everything that has already gone...and everything that is yet to come...I love you Mrs Rizzoli - Isles...thank you for our _son_, and thank you for loving _me_...but most of all, thank you for all the memories..."

~0~

_The end. _


End file.
